Patronus Totalus
by Magda the Magpie
Summary: AU after Order of the Phoenix. Post Hogwarts. The Order of the Phoenix is sill fighting Voldemort and his Death-Eaters. In a desperate attempt to fight off dozens of Dementors, Hermione creates a new powerful Patronus. Rated T for language and maybe later chapters. A RL/HG story.
1. Chapter 1: Warriors of the Light

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and his universe all belong to the delightful JK Rowliing.**

**A/N: Canon up to the Order of the Phoenix. In this story, situated one year after their seventh year, Snape and Remus and Tonks are alive. Dumbledore too and he is still the headmaster of Hogwarts and the war against Voldemort still rages on**

**I was looking for a new take on the Patronus when this idea popped into my thick skull, I hope you'll enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 1: Warriors of the Light

Harry was engaged in a closed-off duel with Voldemort, neither seemed to be over-powering the other. Would it be yet another useless confrontation, with losses on both sides, but still no victory to proclaim. It had been going on for quite some time now. The Golden Trio had left the sanctuary of Hogwarts one year ago for that of the Headquarters at 12 Grimmauld Place or The Burrow.

Hermione had become battle-hardened after the first few skirmishes as a full-fledged member of the Order of the Phoenix, but her heart plummeted at the sight before her. A dozen...no, maybe even a hundred Dementors were swooping down from the sky like some graceful and macabre ballet. She was on the out-skirts of the battle and far enough not to be overly affected by their presence, but standing right beneath them in a huddled group were several wizards of her own faction, probably trying to cast a Patronus. The bastards! This was a trap! The soul-less monsters had been hiding in the stormy clouds above, waiting for their chance to feast on unsuspecting souls.

Why hadn't their spy warned them? Didn't Voldemort trust him any more? Or hadn't he confided in anyone? The latter was more likely. As time went by, and the two opposing forces remained at a stalemate, Snake-face had become more and more paranoid.

She was far away, but not far enough that she couldn't cast a Patronus. She'd be damned if she let anything happen to her fellow warriors of the Light. Running towards them, she desperately assembled her happy thoughts: Ron and Harry, her first friends ever, and who accepted her as she was; her parents, who had always loved and encouraged her until their untimely death; the Weasleys, her second family who smothered her with love;...and LIFE! Oh Gods! Life was beautiful and she wanted to live it fully and freely, with everyone else. Tears were streaming down her face as she clung with all her strength to her happy thoughts, to her unconditional love for everyone and everything in this world.

She halted as she whipped her wand towards the dark creatures, swished and flicked while shouting _EXPECTO PATRONUM! _as loudly and fiercely as she could, clinging to her happiness and love like a protective shroud.

Nothing happened and after a moment of totally useless embarrassment, her eyes focused on the Dementors who had noticed her outburst. A few of them drifted towards her, easy prey.

Why? Why wasn't there even a little pure-white mist erupting from her wand? She should have at least managed that much! Where was her faithful otter?

Just as panic was starting to take a hold on her emotions and nibble at her happy thoughts, the tip of her wand glowed and she sighed in relief. But the intense pure light did not leave her wand, it slithered down it, transforming what was once solid vinewood into an ethereal translucent white glow.

Her wand was transforming into a Patronus? What the hell?

But that was only the beginning. She stood frozen and transfixed as the beautiful light touched her fingertips and changed them too. The sensation was incredible: at first, only a tinkle and then she could feel joy, peace, and bliss as the light invaded her whole body. It prevented her from dropping her wand, she couldn't fear such an amazing feeling.

She felt so light, she was so radiant, like a lighthouse in a storm. And she felt so euphoric. No, she didn't feel it, she _was_ it. She was bliss, she was rapture.

Hermione felt dark vile magic nearby and she collected her thoughts. The Dementors. The Order of the Phoenix trapped nearby. And she soared through the air, high above the grassy meadow. She had never liked flying but this was glorious, and served to increase her happiness and her power, so she fed on it. She braced herself as she was about to fling herself into the hoard of black and putrescent creatures, just like her otter would have done, but she felt nothing. Nothing bad at least: she could sense the vile beings dissolve into nothingness, liberating some trapped happiness back on the world beneath.

She swooped at an unbelievable speed through the wretched things and herded them back as they started panicking and tried to flee. Her beautiful glowing hair had a life of their own and the ethereal tendrils snared and whipped at the dark rotting corpses. There must have been over a hundred of them and it took her a long time, and despite the glorious feeling off success and joy overflowing her heart - if she still had one, that is – she started to feel a strain on her magic.

The young woman floated back down to ground level and froze when she saw she had missed two Dementors, still advancing on a lone weakened Order member that was by himself. Others were running to the rescue but they wouldn't manage it on time. How could she have been so foolish? She valiantly mustered what strength and euphoria she had left and sped towards them, annihilating the shrouded horrors. She felt more resistance this time but put that on the count of her weakened state. She would worry about it later, if she still existed...Patroni usually blinked out of existence once their mission was accomplished, didn't they. Now was the moment of truth.

As her feet touched the ground, she felt herself becoming heavier, more solid and more real. She looked around, disoriented and spotted the small group of Order members she had glimpsed earlier coming to the rescue of their isolated kin.

She found him first, lying motionless on the ground. Had she been too late? Or...that resistance she had felt...had she flown right through him? Had she hurt him? She took shaky steps towards the prone form, turning him over. It was Professor Lupin. Oh, Merlin, no! Please!

Hermione heard the hurried footsteps behind her but a black veil was already clouding her eyes. She was too exhausted, maybe she would disappear now.

* * *

Why were people speaking so bloody loudly? Couldn't anyone get a bit of respite here? Sometimes she really regretted having yielded to the Headmaster's orders and taken up living at Grimmauld Place. Ron stayed with his family at the Burrow, which had been put under the Fidelius as secondary headquarters, while Harry alternated between the two. Hermione herself had no family left, so she could have gotten her own place like other members of the Order, like Tonks or Mr Diggle. But she had submitted to Dumbledore's demands. She would really have to learn to defy authority one day.

Still, why was it so noisy? People were usually more subdued the day following a skirmish with the Death-Eaters and U-NO-POO. And she had been having such a nice dream too for once: she was flying among the stars, happy and beautiful. It was a welcome change from the nightmares.

Oh, well. She might as well get up.

Hermione blinked a few times before her eyes could focus. It was probably past noon already judging by the light streaming in through the windows.

"Oi! She's awake!" yelled a voice, too close to her ears for comfort.

"Bloody hell Ron! Would you mind tuning it down a bit! Since when does my waking up need an all-out announcement?" her voice was raspy and she felt a bit light headed. Maybe it was later than she had anticipated. Did she get hit by a hex yesterday? She felt weak and sore all over.

"You're awake!" the redheaded menace shouted again.

"Will you quit it, Ronald Bilius Weasley! It's hardly a feat, you know." she replied, annoyed. She was trying to recall the events of the last skirmish and he was not helping her focus.

"Indeed." drawled a voice from the doorway. "How nice of you to grace us with your company, Miss Granger."

What was the Potions Master doing in her bedroom?

"Miss Granger." greeted the headmaster, eyes all a-twinkle, as he stepped from behind Professor Snape. "I'm glad to see you're feeling better. Mr Weasley if you don't mind giving us some privacy?"

Feeling better? Something was definitely amiss, and the odds were that it was _her_ and not all the rest of them who was in the dark. It probably had to do with last night.

She closed her eyes, sorting out her memories: apparating next to Hogsmeade, the battle, the duel between Harry and Voldemort -again-, the Dementors...Merlin's pants! The Dementors! She hadn't been dreaming, she had somehow patronussed herself and chased off...no killed!... the bloody things. And she had hurt professor Lupin.

She opened her eyes wide and paled considerably.

"You remember then. Splendid!" the headmaster beamed.

"Lupin! Professor Lupin! Did I..? Is he...?" she demanded in a shrill panicked voice, but couldn't voice her fears. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she had killed someone, and someone she cared for on top of that.

"He's doing just fine, dear; He was only comatose for six hours, just a good rest in other words." the old wizard reassured her, sitting on the edge of her bed and patting her hand. "If you're well enough, would you mind reporting." Dumbledore switched so easily from his grandfatherly mode to his leader of the Light role, he had her head spinning.

"Of course, sir. I'm sorry for the delay. How long have I been sleeping?"

"Four days. You had us quite worried. Even our optimistic Severus here was starting to doubt your recovery."

She chuckled at hearing the dour spy described as optimistic. He was anything but.

Sensing the elder wizard was growing impatient, she gave him a meticulous report, even if she herself did not fully understand what had happened. The two wizards remained silent for a few minutes, no doubt processing this twist of events, before they nodded at each other.

"Miss Granger, what happened to you is an unforeseen blessing for the side of the Light. Your new skill makes you a precious...asset to the Order." he said in a kind voice but his words sounded hollow.

He said 'asset', but all she heard was 'weapon'.

Hermione looked over at the other wizard, who was sitting in a transfigured hard-backed chair next to her bed. What she saw terrified her: she discerned pity in his dark obsidian eyes. He had no business looking at her like that. And then she understood - she wasn't the brightest witch of her age for nothing - Dumbledore was planning on using her like a disposable weapon, just like he did with his spy, who faced a dangerous maniac on a daily basis on the old man's command. He would command her just the same now, to do his bidding, and she couldn't say no, because she had taken an oath to obey the leader of the Light when she had been sworn in as an Oder member. It seemed a bloody stupid thing to do now, in retrospect.

She felt bile rising but suppressed the urge to throw-up. Surely, he would still consider her as a person and not like some shiny new toy. Shiny indeed. Oh, the irony!

"I think it would help us tremendously to analyse your memory in a pensieve, if you don't mind."

"It's a good idea." she agreed shakily. "I'm still feeling weak however, I don't think I'll manage to extract the memory myself, more so because I've never done it before."

The twinkling wizard nodded, still smiling insanely. It was like Christmas had come early.

"We thought that might be the case. If you trust us enough, myself, or Severus, can perform Legilimency to retrieve it for you."

No fucking way the conniving old man was getting in her head. She glanced at the quiet wizard sitting next to him, considering something she never would have before today, and saw him give her an almost imperceptible nod.

"Fine." she answered, trying to sound aloof "If you don't mind, headmaster, I'd rather Professor Snape do it though. I'd be too embarrassed if you saw some _intimate_ memories by mistake. Professor Snape already loathes me though, so it wouldn't be too much of a loss on me."

Dumbledore chuckled, probably still on a high of euphoria at the good luck befalling him, he agreed readily and just as he left, added:

"Do not worry, Miss Granger. Severus is a very accomplished Legilimens."

Hermione waited until she heard him shuffle away and the remaining wizard threw a strong silencing and privacy charm.

"Yeah, because _that's_ what's worrying me. Geez..." she huffed.

"You'll have to get used to it, I'm afraid. Once he's got his claws on you, consider yourself his slave."

"Have _you_ gotten used to it?"

The spy, merely shrugged, neither a yes or a no.

"Thank you for helping me." She told him in a small voice. "I didn't want to give him more ammo to control me. He would probably have harvested my mind like some fucking Dementor."

"Language, Miss Granger." but he sounded amused. "But it was wise of you to trust me. Now, let's get back to business. Have you experienced Legilimency before?"

"No. I only know what Harry told me from your special Occlumency lessons" and she shuddered.

Professor Snape smirked.

"I will be more careful with you. First, I need you to call forth your memory from last night starting from your apparition there. Then, I will need to look into your eyes and maintain eye contact for the duration. Physical contact will make the connection smoother too, if you don't mind."

"What? Like holding hands?" she asked, befuddled.

He barked a short deep laugh. It made him look so human, it was uncanny.

"Not quite."

Sitting face to face, because he was much too tall otherwise, he bend towards her, staring deep into her eyes and she felt his cool fingers on her temples.

"Ready?" he inquired softly.

"Yes" barely a whisper, before she concentrated on that particular night.

"_Legilimency._"

She couldn't feel any invasion of her mind but maintained her focus on the last skirmish. And suddenly the images flew before her eyes, much clearer than her fuzzy memories. She couldn't say how long it lasted before the connection was broken and she slumped forward, exhausted. Professor Snape prevented her from falling in a heap on the ground and gently helped her settle back in her bed.

"Did you get all of it?" she asked.

He nodded.

"I didn't feel anything, it's almost as if you weren't there." she insisted.

"It's because you freely opened your mind to me." he explained but she could see the evil smirk he had sported earlier at her mention of Harry's Occlumency lessons. He turned to leave but she had one more question she was itching to ask.

"Any advice for a fellow sacrificial lamb?"

She saw him fighting a grin but he answered, as seriously as ever:

"Stay sharp, trust no one."

"No one? Not even you?"

"No one." he confirmed "That is, if you don't want to finish as dragon-bait."

And he left, robes billowing and all. What a fraud, she thought, before she succumbed to sleep once more.

* * *

The next day -probably- she decided it was finally time to get out of bed, because she was famished. Nourishing Potions just didn't fill an empty stomach even if it did fulfill your biological needs.

It was dark outside, casting a _Tempus_ revealed the time: 2 a.m. Everybody was most likely asleep. Her stomach rumbled loudly, so she threw on her nightgown and made her way quietly to the kitchen, being careful to skip the third step from the bottom because it creaked so loudly it may as well be a burglar alarm.

Driven by her hunger, she strutted cross the kitchen and she threw herself on the pantry, searching the shelves for some leftovers and backing out with the rests of a bowl of potato salad, perfect! She was going to take a seat at the long table when she cried out in surprise and dropped her fork.

She hadn't seen anyone when she had entered the dimly lit kitchen and walked to the far end where the larder was. Not that she had really looked, mind you, she had just assumed. Kingsley Shacklebolt, Professor Snape and Professor Lupin were all seated at one end of the table ogling her. She gave herself a once-over. Yep, she was definitely not decent: her muggle sleeveless shirt and and shorts definitely did not cover much, especially with her dressing-gown gaping open. She blushed furiously and hastily closed the gown, too tightly for her comfort.

"Hum...I wasn't expecting company." she explained.

Snape had the gall to smirk and in his deep silky voice threw a not so innocent:

"Obviously."

"May I join you? Or is this a private meeting."

"Sit here, Hermione. We've reached a dead-end anyway..." said the werewolf, waving her over to the seat next to him.

The witch deliberately walked behind Snape to take the offered seat, muttering just low enough for the raven-haired man to hear: "Cannon-fodder." And she was happy to hear him choke on his drink.

"Professor Lupin!" she greeted him warmly with evident relief and a hug that he had obviously not expected.

"Umph! Steady there, what's the occasion?" he chuckled.

"I'm sorry." she blurted out, sitting down next to him and summoning her forgotten fork that she scourgified thoroughly. "I was so worried. The last thing I remember was knocking you unconscious because I attacked you. I'm so sorry."

"I wouldn't say you _attacked_ him, Hermione." interrupted Auror Shacklebolt. "Actually, I'd even go so far as to say you saved his life. And everyone else's. And it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen."

Professor Lupin nodded enthusiastically.

"What?" she squeaked, embarrassed by his words. "You saw me?"

"Yes, I was one of the Order members who was failing miserably at fighting off the Dementors." answered the Auror, grimacing at the mention of his failure.

"Well, there were rather a lot of them." she laughed nervously

"However." cut in the spy's silky tones "The Dark Lord also saw you. The good news is, he was too far away to make out that it was a person or the identity of the Patronus. He currently thinks it's some kind of giant Accromantula or octopus, but cast by a very powerful wizard and he demands a name. I don't intend to reveal the true nature of the Patronus but he demands a name all the same and we were just...brain-storming."

Kingsley and Lupin seemed shocked by the snarky man's sudden volubility and invitation for the young woman to join them, but preferred -wisely- not to comment on it.

"Snakey must really have his knickers in a twist." she said matter-of-factly and the tension around the table dissolved into laughs, before they resumed their strategic plotting.

They discarded several potential solutions, either too unbelievable or that had a high probability of backfiring.

"I still think it would be easier to just give my own name, seeing as I'm already a prime target, what with being a mudblood," the three men flinched, "who's bested pure-bloods since I was eleven, and best friends of the boy-who-lived... and I can actually lengthen the list! I'm a kill-on-sight priority and you all know it. But being the insufferable know-it-all that I am," she dared smirk at the spy, who responded with a snarl, "I think we could frustrate the egomaniac homonculus just a bit more and hope to prevent our dear Professor Snape a few torture-sessions as well. Hear me out..."

And the bushy-haired woman endeavoured to convince them to tell Voldemort that Dumbledore had recruited a new ally of a mythical -that is to say invented- nature in a far-off country that is all Light, the exact opposite of the Dark Dementors. That way he'd have no target amongst the Order members and he'd be tearing his hair out – if he had had any that is.

"You would have made a passable Slytherin, Miss Granger. It's quite devious, and protects you as much as myself."

She acknowledged graciously and the two other wizards seemed to suddenly realize the nature of the bond that had suddenly drawn the unlikely pair closer.

"I'll run it by Albus tomorrow at Hogwarts and settle the details if he agrees." resumed the Potions Professor and he took his leave. Just before he crossed the threshold, he uttered three words at the kitchen at large:

"Coal-mine canary."

Hermione chuckled, being the only one to understand.

"Good one Professor." His knowledge of the muggle world was surprisingly rich.

Auror Shacklebolt left soon-after and Professor Lupin gallantly walked her back to her room, telling her to rest well because her training would start the next morning.

"You realise I have no idea what you're talking about, don't you?" she told the werewolf.

"Didn't Albus tell you?"

Of course he didn't, he lets his underlings deliver the bad news, she thought bitterly. She shook her head. Don't shoot the messenger, she reminded herself. Don't shoot the messenger!

"I'm to supervise your mastery of the Patronus as you did it last time."

"B-But... I have no idea how I did it!" And she didn't like failing. It was unfair. Couldn't they just forget about the whole thing. In the middle of a war? Fat chance...

Seeing her distraught look, the wizard hugged her until she calmed down and wished her a good night. Fat chance...


	2. Chapter 2: The Training

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and his universe all belong to the delightful JK Rowling.**

**A/N: I'd like to introduce everyone to my wonderful beta-reader ****fredrikas****,****who kindly volunteered and will be making sure my chapters are perfect for you! Thank you fredrikas!**

**And just so you know the amazing work she did, and very quickly might I add: she corrected 6 typos, 3 grammatical errors and as much turn of phrases, and even shared her ideas with me! Amazing!**

***Round of applause and Weasley-Fireworks***

Chapter 2: The Training

"Why do we have to start so early?" moaned Hermione, who still sported sleep-tousled hair and bleary eyes. She had dressed in comfortable muggle clothes and taken a light breakfast before joining her Professor, but the coffee had not been enough to wake her up fully. The rising sun was barely visible through the curtains of the vast library of number 12 Grimmauld Place, whose other occupants were still sleeping soundly. Remus Lupin looked a bit bashful as he replied.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. I will have to retire early in the day, so I thought we'd better get an early start."

The young witch frowned for a second. She had thought Dumbledore had relieved the Professor of his duties with the werewolves to concentrate on the training of his new weapon, namely her, so what...

"Ooh!" she exclaimed suddenly, flushing in embarrassment as she realized tonight was a full moon. "Will you be all right? Maybe we should start the training after..."

"I'll be fine." he chuckled. "I may not be able to handle a full class of inattentive students at this time of the month but I think one avid learner like you should be no problem."

Hermione flashed him a smile at the compliment. Or what passed as a compliment for her.

"Where shall I begin then, Professor?"

"You may start by dropping the formality, you make me feel like an ancient long-bearded scholar. Call me Remus, like Harry and Ron do."

"Yes, Pro... Remus." She knew it would take some practice since she had always been very respectful of her teachers and had been calling him 'Professor' since her third year, but at least it seemed to amuse the wizard greatly.

"Right." he smiled. "Now, I want you to start by simply casting your Patronus as you usually would. An otter, I think."

Hermione nodded as she gripped her wand from the back pocket of her jeans. A swish, flick and incantation later and her otter was merrily sauntering about them. Hermione was pleased it had not vanished in favour of her other Patronus form: she liked the cheerful little rodent and it was useful to pass on messages to the Order in case of emergencies. Glancing at her Professor, she saw that he had a look of approval, probably thinking the same.

"Good." he concluded. "Can you tell me how summoning your otter is different from what you did last time?"

"Well, the obvious is that there are no dementors here. No emergency either. No lives threatened." The cosy Library, overflowing with beloved books, that had often been a sanctuary of hers, couldn't feel any safer in her eyes. The wizard nodded.

"Those are all the exterior factors, but, in theory, they should only make the casting of the spell more difficult, not explain it's realization. What about how you summoned it, how you felt at the time and the memories you used?"

"Haven't you seen the memory Professor Snape got from me?"

"Yes, I did. But it was an indirect memory, so your feelings were toned down. I think that's where the solution may be."

Hermione bit her bottom lip, thinking over that night: she had been scared and desperate at first. The first tries at summoning her Patronus had failed so she had reached out for more happy memories... Oh... Not exactly memories... Rather recollecting everything that she loved in this world. Love of life itself, and a desire to protect it all. A love that was more selfless.

"Hermione? Hermione?" called a voice.

The young woman snapped out of her thoughts as a worried wizard came into focus.

"Are you feeling all right? Maybe you still need more rest."

Hermione dismissed his concern.

"Madam Pomfrey said I was fine. I was just thinking... I think you're right." And she endeavoured to tell him how she had unthinkingly replaced happy memories with, for want of a better word, love.

"Love?" he said sceptically. "Ron?"

"What? No!" she exclaimed, horrified. "He's like a brother to me! Eew!" she added as a vivid image of Ron kissing and groping her flashed through her mind. "I didn't mean romantic love! More like... an all-encompassing love, a love of everything that grows, that breathes, that lives... I don't know, it's complicated." she finished, defeated by the lack of existing words to describe what she had felt that night.

"Then, I want you to try and recall that feeling, and summon your Patronus once more."

Hermione took a deep breath, soaked her heart into that particular love, and did the necessary wand work, intoning:

"Expecto Patronum!"

Even her otter didn't come forth, there was only a faint white mist oozing from the tip of her wand, she felt like an utter failure. Hermione didn't take well to not succeeding in something on her first try, that's what she was usually good at. And that's why she hadn't been so keen when Dumbledore had forced her into mastering her Patronus form.

"Again." the scarred wizard told her, a thoughtful look on his face.

"But..." Surely, there was no point, the results would be the same.

"Again, Hermione." he ordered.

They did this a few more times, taking a few breaks during which her Professor made her eat chocolate as they sat side by side on the only sofa, and always yielding the same result. The curly-haired witch was getting frustrated with the man.

"I just don't see the point, I could be doing this all day and it won't change the fact that it doesn't work, Professor!"

"Remus." he corrected automatically. "Have you not seen a difference? I asked you to repeat this spell for a reason. The mist your wand emits is not ordinary. Here, I'll try showing you."

He proceeded to summon a weaker version of his Patronus, which was no easy feat when it was so much easier for him to summon his corporeal Patronus, by sheer force of habit. Hermione stared at the white mist that flowed out like a shiny fog from his wand, and understood what he had meant: in her case, the mist looked a lot more solid and didn't whirl out like a light fluffy cloud, but oozed sluggishly from the tip, with a watery quality, not going very far out.

"What does it mean?" she asked, puzzled.

"It's only a guess, but, as the brightest which of your age, I think you've accidentally invented a new spell and it just needs a few adjustments."

"What? But that's not possible! I don't even know how spells are created in the first place!" It was true: despite her thirst of knowledge, she had never found the time to study that fascinating and complex subject, there was always something more urgent at the time to research.

"I agree with the_ girl." _interrupted a sweet voice from the doorway Hermione had left half-open earlier that morning.

"Nymphadora." Remus Lupin greeted her with a tight smile.

"Hello, Tonks!" said Hermione a bit more cheerfully, although she resented a bit she had just been dismissed as a mere girl by the auror. She was as much an Order Member as the pink-haired witch now that she wasn't a student any more, and hadn't been for over a year. Tonks should treat her as an equal in the Headquarters at least, especially as she was only a few years her elder.

"I wanted to see if you wanted to come to lunch Remus? It's already quite late." the eccentric witch told the werewolf, completely ignoring Hermione now.

"I hadn't seen the time pass." he replied after casting a quick _Tempus._ "Hermione will you be joining us?" he asked good-naturedly.

The younger witch was about to accept, she was famished after all that magic expenditure, when she spotted Tonks' frown of disapproval.

"Hum... I'll just meet with Harry and Ron if they haven't eaten yet, Professor." she replied instead, not quite understanding the Auror's animosity directed at her today.  
"Call me Remus." he reminded her once more, and Hermione swore she heard Tonks choking on a snort of disbelief.

They made plans to continue the training after lunch now that they had some idea of where to go, and Hermione went to look for the boys in their room, although she very much doubted Ron had not dragged Harry to the kitchen and eaten his fill as soon as his nostrils had sensed the first wafts of tasty food drifting from downstairs. She found them in the middle of a game of wizard's chess. Harry didn't get inevitably flattened like he used to, but Ron still won most of their games.

"Hermione!" exclaimed Harry. "Please tell me you've come to save me from another defeat. My chess pieces keep calling me names." he pouted but his green eyes sparkled with amusement.

"It depends. Have you guys eaten yet? I was just heading to lunch."

"Oh. We thought you would eat with Remus. Sorry." answered Ron.

"Tonks came to drag him off to the kitchen." She hesitated bothering them with her concerns about the witch's attitude, but they did spend more time with the pink-haired Auror as they all worked -or trained in the boys' case- at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. "She was a bit short tempered... Is something wrong with her?"

The boys looked at each other, smirking.

"We think Tonks has a crush on Remus." said Harry, having difficulties containing a laugh.

"A major crush!" added Ron, guffawing.

"Oh!" Wait, was Tonks jealous of the time she had spent with Remus? Jealous? Of her? Hermione? That was a laughable reason in itself but the boys didn't know about it so something else was obviously causing their mirth.

"Why is it so funny?" she wondered, bemused at the boys' reddened faces.

"She's our instructor in concealment." explained Harry "We have to detect her using complicated spells and all, but when we still can't locate her... we murmur Remus' name, and she's bound to trip on something in the next seconds and betray her position."

"That's cheating!" she told them self-righteously, but grinning all the same. How that clumsy woman became an Auror was anyone's guess. "All right. Well, see you later, then." At least she now knew why Tonks had been so cold towards her, even if it wasn't justified. She had no 'crush' on Professor Lupin herself -not since her third year when he had been her teacher at least. Although, she had to admit he was really good-looking in a rugged sort of way, with all his scars and messy hair. And you could just tell through his clothes that he was well built, with just enough muscles... Hermione halted in the middle of the first landing, blushing furiously. Had she been checking out her teacher? That was certainly inappropriate, she berated herself. But, he wasn't really her Professor any more, she told herself snidely. He even wanted her to call him Remus. So they were more like friends in that case. Did that make it okay to check him out? Maybe not. She shook her head vigorously to rid herself of the image, her curls flying wildly around her, and opened the kitchen door.

Tonks was laughing at something Remus had said. She was sitting very close to him, which she personally would have found annoying, but Prof...no, Remus... was probably too much of a gentleman to tell her off. Tonks, feeling she was being watched, turned around and grimaced slightly at seeing her. This is ridiculous_, _Hermione thought. Normally she would have sat at the opposite end of the table when someone showed her such animosity, but Tonks was being childish. So, she gathered her famous Gryffindor courage and sat on the werewolf's other side just to piss her off, but not so close as to smother him like the Auror did.

The wizard offered Hermione a small smile and passed her the roast potatoes and corn. And they all ate in tense silence. Mister Diggle and Auror Shacklebolt were talking animatedly on the other side of the table, completely oblivious of the drama playing before them, until Severus Snape entered and loomed above them, commanding silence without a word.

"Hello, Severus. Care to join us? There's plenty left." Remus told the intimidating man as if he wasn't glaring at everybody present. But he only looked at the food with distaste.

"Hello, Kamikaze" Hermione grinned widely. It had taken her the better part of the day to come up with that one, and she was quite proud of it.

Professor Snape seemed to freeze momentarily, before giving a quick nod of his head to acknowledge her. Coming from Severus Snape, it was the equivalent of a standing ovation. As no one else seemed inclined to greet him, he announced his business for coming to headquarters in the first place.

"Lupin, your potion." He said simply, handing the wizard a small vial of a murky looking liquid.

"Thank you, Severus." Remus answered warmly, before popping the vial's ecork off and gulping down the contents with a wrinkling of his nose. "Gods! I wish you could do something about the taste."

"I never said I couldn't." he replied, arching an elegant eyebrow to mock his assumption, and making Hermione choke on her butterbeer. "How is the training going?" he asked in a bored tone sparing her a glance, like he wasn't really interested in the answer, but Hermione knew he wouldn't ask if that was the case. Professor Snape was not renowned for idle talk.

"We made a breakthrough actually." the Gryffindor wizard told him proudly, Tonks scoffing besides him.

"Really?" drawled the black-clad wizard.

"Yes. You can assists us if you want this afternoon, I think we could progress faster, especially since I remember you're more familiar with the creation of spells."

A light lit up in Snape's dark orbs, she had never seen the dour man's interest piked before, he looked more alive, much like when he had let a laugh escape him.

"It is the week-end, and I find myself without anything more interesting to do at the moment." he told them non-committally. "I'll wait for you in the library, shall I?"

They watched him billow out of the room in a few graceful strides. A furtive glance between Hermione and Remus was enough for them to decide that, they too, wanted to start working quickly on the creation of the new spell. It was a very exciting and unique project after all, and it also had the potential to turn the war in their favour. They rose without a word and left for the library, Hermione hearing a feeble protest from Tonks.

"What took you so long?" asked Snape as snarky as ever, even if a small tug at the corner of his lips betrayed that he was actually pleased they had come after him.

Hermione showed Professor Snape her oozing Patronus mist while Remus explained what she used to summon it and what he had inferred from it.

"Obviously the incantation is all wrong: you are not sending out hope to summon a protector. In fact, it is more correct to say that you become that protector. You probably managed to become the Patronus wordlessly last time, out of desperation." Professor Snape intoned in his lecture-giving tone, pacing before the other two.

Hermione nodded in understanding, that was exactly what she had felt and wished for on the battlefield: to protect her friends and life in general.

"The wand movements seem acceptable at this point since you can produce mist. We will have to try modifying part of the incantation, since Patronus could still be viable to design yourself as a protector."

The small group then spent a couple of hours pouring over books of magic, and Latin in the witch's case, listing a few possible solutions to twist the basic Patronus charm into the one they needed.

"So...Is our guinea pig ready to try out our new formulas?" The Slytherin asked nonchalantly, as if he had not just continued their playful banter.

Hermione's jaw dropped for a second before she took control of herself once more.

"I bet you've spent your whole time looking that one up while _we_ were seriously working." she told him haughtily, waving a finger between herself and Remus to prove her point. "You... you cheat!"

Remus gasped, looking warily at Severus in case he tried hexing the witch. He had just gotten over the fact that this unlikely pair had bonded somehow, but nonetheless, he doubted very much that the snarky wizard would take too kindly to being insulted by a former student of his. Therefore, he was even more surprised when the dark wizard only smirked at her, apparently amused by her outraged outburst.

"Sore loser." he said very distinctly, detaching each syllable as he stared straight at her, before they both burst out laughing: Severus with a deep short chuckle and Hermione clutching her sides as she couldn't stop the giggles.

Remus wanted to pinch himself -surely he was dreaming- but he merely cleared his throat instead, drawing their attention.

"Hermione, if you don't mind? I have to leave in a couple of hours."

And thus started the long list of inadequate incantations, none of them working any better than the original _Expecto Patronum,_ and others not working at all, leaving an exhausted Hermione collapsed on the sofa.

"I don't think I can keep this up. It's too draining. Can we leave it until tomorrow?" she begged. She wasn't one to shirk her work but she doubted very much she could even lift her little finger if her life depended on it. In fact, she was thinking of sleeping right here on the sofa, as the very idea of walking up even a single flight of creaky stairs seemed as daunting as climbing Mount Kilmanjaro.

"We've been at it longer than I thought anyway. I'd better hurry and lock myself up in Buckbeak's attic for the night." Looking over at the witch unsuccessfully fighting off sleep, he added: "Want me to help you up, Hermione? You look knackered."

"Yeah, if you're willing to carry me up." she scoffed. "I couldn't even crawl up those bloody stairs if I wanted too. I'll just sleep right here, G'night Remus. G'night Prof'ssor Snape." She was about to snuggle into the velvety cushions when she caught the sandy-haired wizard's very wolfish grin. Remus advanced on her and in matter of seconds, had thrown her easily over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, her bum in the air, while she shrieked in fear.

"You just had to ask, witch." he chuckled. "Good night then, Severus, thanks for your help!" he called over his free shoulder with a wave of the hand as he made his way out and up the staircase.

Hermione stopped screaming at the man to put her down after Harry and Ron had come out, wands in hand, to see what the fuss was about, and ended up not saving her, but laughing themselves silly at the awkward position she found herself in. She was very glad she had not worn a skirt that morning, it could have been much more embarrassing than it presently was. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Remus dropped her off on her bed.

"See, that wasn't so hard. Good night Hermione." he told her, closing the door behind him.

"I hope the attic is infested with fleas!" she shot back before he was out of werewolf-hearing range, and threw one of her cushions at the offending door. Okay, she had to admit she would sleep better in her own bed and would be in better shape for tomorrow's training. Still, that was no way to treat a lady, even for a Marauder.

And it was true, she would have slept soundly until morning if it wasn't for the anguished howl of pain that drifted down from the topmost story of the ancient house a little while later, when the full moon was shining brightly through her curtains. Every current resident of Grimmauld Place was up with their wands at the ready. Hermione and Harry in the next door bedroom, Sturgis Podmore who had taken up a permanent room since his return from Azkaban, and the Auror Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody had done the same since his kidnapping from his own home. They all shared the same landing, as well as Remus when he wasn't a werewolf, feeling safer in numbers and more like a family none of them had otherwise. They all looked uncertain of what had happened, and what they should do.

"Remus?" Harry wondered aloud.

Hermione nodded, thinking the same. Somehow, the werewolf had gotten hurt. They rushed off to the stairwell, hearing Moody's wooden leg knocking the wooden floor rapidly behind them.

"Don't you kids open that door before I get there!" the Auror growled menacingly. When he got to the attic's door, the two Gryffindors were kneeling in front of it, their ears stuck to the wooden surface.

"He's whimpering." Hermione whispered fearfully.

"We have to open the door, Alastor! He needs our help!" Harry almost yelled.

The battle-scarred wizard nodded his approval and gruffly ordered them to stand back

"Just in case." he explained. "It is the full moon. Even with the Wolfsbane potion, there's a werewolf behind that door."

The Auror unwarded it, turned the knob with one hand while the other held his wand out steadily, ready to stupefy the werewolf if he tried attacking them. Harry and Hermione did the same. Sturgis was probably locked in his room, he hadn't been the same since his unfair imprisonment in Azkaban and no one blamed him for it.

However, what they found on the other side wasn't frightening at all: monstrous, wretched, pitiful, sad, would better describe the state in which the three people found their friend.


	3. Chapter 3: The Werewolf in the Attic

D**isclaimer: Harry Potter and his universe all belong to the delightful JK Rowling.**

**A/N: Let's all thank my awesome beta, Fredrika, who is also a great, funny and helpful person!**

Chapter 3: The Werewolf in the Attic

Harry, Hermione and Alastor decided not to move Remus from Buckbeak's former attic to his own room. Their friend was in such a state that they would probably do more harm than good. Something had gone horribly wrong: what they saw was neither a wizard, nor a werewolf, but a gruesome combination of the two. Not like the centaurs, who were human from the waist up and equine the rest of the way, or even the sphinx, who had a human head resting on the body of a lion. No, Remus was twisted between his lupine form and his human one. His mouth, for example, was very human looking except it contorted too far out, snout-like, bending his teeth at unnatural angles. Great patches of fur battled for dominance over his scarred creamy skin. He bled in places where he had no doubt tried to claw away the pain that deformed his bones and stretched his muscles as parts of his limbs elongated to adjust to his werewolf form while others stubbornly remained human.

He was a mess, there was no other words. The half-eaten ferrets they used to find in the attic when Buckbeak lived here looked better that Remus did at this moment.

They had levitated him in a makeshift cot Hermione had transfigured from the old mattress that usually lay in the far corner.

"Maybe we should try bringing him to Saint Mungos." suggested Harry.

"Won't accept 'im. Werewolf." Alastor disagreed gruffly. "They would probably put 'im down, especially in that state."

The old Auror cast his Patronus with a message urging Madam Pomfrey to join them at Headquarters as soon as she could manage. She was at Hogwarts, but hopefully had no student to care for or it would take her longer to get here. After a little hesitation, he demanded Madam Pomfrey to bring Snape along, and then sent the glowing bear on its way.

"Why Snape?" asked Harry. "He won't help Remus, he hates him!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. Harry had never gotten over the fact that Professor Snape had succeeded in getting the werewolf fired when he had been teaching at Hogwarts in their third year. She had been angry too, because Professor Lupin had been the best DADA teacher they had ever had. But that was many year ago, and she thought that maybe, just maybe, the Potions Master had had his reasons for doing so. Besides, the two men had spent the afternoon together with her and there had been little to no animosity between them.

"He's supposed to give Remus his wolfsbane potion, ain't he?" answered the Auror snidely.

"Do you think he forgot? Or that he didn't give it to Remus on purpose...to hurt him? That bastard! I'll hex the miserable ugly git!"

"Harry! Stop it!" she interrupted before he worked himself into an uncontrollable rage. "I was there when Professor Snape brought Remus his potion, and I saw Remus drink it. It must be something else that hurt him."

"Not necessarily. I was thinking that he might have not made it correctly. You know, it is a difficult potion...maybe his hand slipped...a wrong ingredient here or there. It could happen." Alastor said again, not wanting to let Snape off the hook so easily.

"I've never heard of Professor Snape not brewing a potion perfectly." the witch scoffed at the ridiculous idea. They might as well say that she had misquoted _Hogwarts, A History._

"I know that girl." the older wizard implied once more.

"He poisoned him!" roared Harry once more, pacing furiously before Remus' bed, making the ancient floorboards creak. "The bastard! I'll kill him!"

"Kill who, Potter? The Dark Lord? It would be about time, too." drawled Snape's voice from the doorway, as the smaller form of the mediwitch bustled around the crowd, finding the quickest route to the bed where she knew she'd find whoever it was that needed her help.

"You! You!" shouted the green-eyed wizard incoherently as he pointed an accusing finger at Snape, his face red from the anger that radiated off of him in waves.

"Me? Me what, Potter? Do try to form a full sentence instead of prattling on like a mindless idiot."

"You poisoned Remus!"

"Harry! You can't go accusing people like that!" Hermione intervened, although she was sure the damage had already been done and the two men would be hexing each other any second now.

"Remus?" the dark wizard said, clearly surprised, as his eyes rounded and his whole body shifted from his confrontational stance to an analytical search of the room for the patient they had been called for. "Poisoned?" and he rushed off to Madam Pomfrey's side, unconsciously towing everybody along with him. Well, that was not the reaction Hermione or any of the others had expected. The snarky wizard looked sincerely concerned, worried even, when he studied the prone form of Remus Lupin.

"Oh, Severus! I don't know what to do!" murmured the mediwitch fearfully. "I've never seen or even heard of anything of the kind! The mediscans show his vitals are under a lot of stress, his pulse is frighteningly high and I'm not sure how long his heart will hold if this keeps on."

"Can we put him under a stasis charm? Until we find out what happened to him or how to help him?" he asked the nurse, who was wringing her hands in frustration.

"No." she finally decided. "If his state is spell induced, a stasis may leave him in that...state... permanently."

"Doze him then? He seems in a lot of pain, which may explain his vitals."

"What if he really was poisoned?" asked Madam Pomfrey, earning her an incredulous raised eyebrow from her friend. "Of course, I don't mean you, you daft boy."

"Well, "he answered ignoring the older witch's poor choice of words. "The problem would be the same as the stasis charm, if he was poisoned, healing potions may aggravate his ailment. However, the Draught of the Living Death may work as it uses only four ingredients, mainly the sopophorous beans, that don't interact unfavourably with any ingredients that I know of."

At the woman's nod, he pulled out a leather case from an inside pocket of his robe that contained several little colourful vials. He selected one, popped the cork out and handed it to the mediwitch who forced the potion down the wizard's deformed and furry throat. They all waited in silence for the mediwitch to recast her monitoring spells.

"Better." she announced. "His life is not in immediate danger any more. I'll heal his self-inflicted wounds but I don't think I can do much more, this is way out of my capacities. We should call for Albus, maybe he well know something about this. And...do we know any other werewolves who would be willing to talk to us? Maybe this is a werewolf disease or something? They would know best in that case."

"Excellent idea, Poppy!" boomed Alastor. "I know a werewolf lady in Surrey, I'll go there right now."

"Thank you." the nurse said modestly, blushing a little at the praise from the fierce auror. "I'll report to Albus when I'm done here. There is not much I will be able to do after that. Harry, Hermione, would you mind being Remus' caretaker in the meanwhile, since you live here?"

The two friends glanced briefly at each other before nodding in unison.

"We'll manage."

"So, Potter. Care to resume our previous _chat_? It was most interesting. I think you were accusing me of … murder? Yes, that's it: murder." Professor Snape spat venomously, towering above the two young Gryffindors.

"So? You did slip him a potion, didn't you?" Harry said mulishly.

"I assure you I did not_ slip _anyone any potion, ever. I did however offer Lupin a wolfsbane potion I painstakingly brewed. As I have been doing for the last six years."

"It's true, Harry. And Remus would know if it had been different from his usual potion, you know how strong his sense of smell is. He even said it tasted as bad as usual at lunch! As a matter of fact, I doubt anyone could ever poison a werewolf seeing they have such developed senses. How much more proof do you want? So... you'd better apologize to Professor Snape." Hermione snapped, ignoring the incredulous looks from both wizards. "Now." she added, giving Harry a not so discreet kick in the shin when the stubborn boy made no move to right his wrong.

"Okay! All right! Don't go all Molly Weasley on me!" Harry huffed, throwing his arms in the air in exasperation. "Snape, I shouldn't have said that... without proof." And he stalked off, leaving Hermione alone with the dour man.

"That's as good as you're going to get, I'm afraid." she explained. "He's not the apologizing type, even when you rub his nose in his errors."

"It's more than I ever got from the other Potter." he mumbled under his breath, unheard. "Why did you defend me?"

"You're not guilty." she said simply, shrugging nonchalantly. "Besides, our car-crash dummy is too useful to waste away in Azkaban for an imaginary murder attempt."

A fleeting quirk of his mouth told her that he understood once more the very muggle reference, while she had more difficulties containing her proud grin, that is, until her gaze feel on Remus' sleeping form.

"Is he still in pain?" she asked worriedly, standing by the bed and pushing a lock of hair -or fur- away from his eyes.

"His body is. We only alleviated the stress the pain caused by slowing down his body's rhythm and locking away his mind in a dreamless sleep for now. I have nourishing potions to prepare tonight, if you'll excuse me."

The witch nodded, looking at the wizard's retreating back and feeling she had been utterly useless since they had discovered Remus. She was no healer, no potion's master, no auror, and didn't even know other werewolves, or even that much about poisoning or dark curses. Completely and utterly useless.

Hermione had specialized in arithmancy after Hogwarts, being able to do much of the needed work and research from the safety of the headquarters since her mentor, Silwen Fredrik, was, just like herself a fellow Order member. Professor Fredrik's sole purpose in their organisation was to help plan their strategy by calculating the probability of success of their various actions. It was Dumbledore who had offered she takes on an apprenticeship with their arithmancer, who was also an old friend of his. A very old friend judging by the thousands of wrinkles that graced the witch's kind face. She was certain that the crafty old wizard had not done it out of the kindness of his heart however, but rather to ensure that as a muggle-born, she wasn't an easy target for the death-eaters, nor a burden for the Order of the Phoenix if she had chosen a more exposed career. She wondered if Dumbledore also worried that Master Fredrik would not be around much longer and was just being practical in finding her replacement. After all, the old man was so cunning she wouldn't put it pass him to kill two birds with one stone.

But now... Maybe it would really be of use to her, maybe she could run a few equations concerning Remus, to see the possible outcomes of his sickness and maybe even find the point of origin! The young woman got so excited by the idea that she may be of use after all that she itched for her quill and parchment, but she didn't want to leave Remus alone either, and she had promised Madam Pomfrey to take care of him.

Face scrunching up in thought, she finally decided on the best way to accomplish all her objectives.

"I'll be right back, Remus!" she called out to the prone form as she skipped out of the attic, and, true to her word she was back only ten minutes later, a heavy book-bag on her shoulder and arms laden with blankets, two of which she tucked around the sleeping man. He was after all mostly naked, and even if he was partially covered in fur, she wasn't sure it would be enough to keep the chill of the attic at bay.

Then she fetched a rickety wooden chair that was standing forlornly next to the door and transfigured it into another cot just five feet away from Remus'. If he needed her, she wanted to be next to him in an instant. Satisfied with her arrangements, she curled up into the last blanket and sat comfortably on her makeshift bed before whipping out her quill and parchment, an excited gleam dancing in her eyes at the prospect of doing something useful for the Order, and for Remus.

* * *

"Wake up, you silly girl!" The deep voice jerked Hermione awake, her attention immediately fixed on the next cot, instead of the dark looming figure standing by her bed.

"Good morning to you too, Professor Snape." she grumbled sarcastically, once she was satisfied Remus' health had not gotten any worse during the night. She untangled herself from her woollen blanket to get up. Books, parchments and quills falling around her feet as she did so. She blushed, having forgotten she must have fallen asleep sometime during the night as she tried puzzling together arithmantic equations that may help Remus. She had had no such luck of course, there were just too many unknown variables, rendering her equations as useful as a silencing charm on Mrs Black's portrait.

"Here, take these potions." The smirking wizard told her, thrusting quite a heavy package in her hands and clearly having no intention of greeting her back, but he did not mock her either so she took it as a good sign. "If you're so intent on babysitting Lupin, then you might as well do it right, since Poppy and I will be busy enough at Hogwarts."

_How dare he? _Hermione was livid that the wizard was implying that she had nothing better to do herself, as if she lounged about the headquarters all day like a flobberworm. Really! That man was insufferable. Swallowing down her Gryffindor pride, she walked to their patient's bed and took one of the vials from the package. She looked uncertainly from the unconscious werewolf to the vial.

"How do I make him drink it? I mean, he's still unconscious, so..."

"Did Miss Granger, infamous know-it-all, just admit her ignorance?" Professor Snape drawled. He seemed to be in one of his worse Gryffindor-baiting moods today -probably from the lack of sleep- so the witch bit her lip, forcing herself to remain silent and waited for him to continue.

"Help Lupin up into a sitting position so he doesn't choke on the potion." he ordered.

Hermione tried lifting Remus up to plop pillows behind his back, but he was just too heavy Not one to admit defeat so fast, she instead sat near his head and used her body as a lever, the unconscious wizard now lying half slumped against her thigh and shoulder. She tried not to touch too much of her friend's deformed limbs, not because it disgusted her, but because she was very afraid she was unknowingly hurting him.

"Now, tilt his head back just a little and pour the equivalent of one mouthful."

Hermione shifted a little to have better access to the werewolf's mouth. She uncorked the vial with one swift movement of her thumb while her other hand plied his deformed mouth open.

"Good. Now you'll have to massage his throat to encourage the swallowing reflex."

The witch did as she was told, still wary of hurting her sleeping friend. She gently stroked his throat, feeling his warm skin at times, tufts of silky fur at others, until she heard him gulp. Proud of having managed, she grinned at the Potions Master, who sneered right back.

"Three mouthfuls, twice a day, in the mornings and evenings. Madam Pomfrey will be relieved you can replace her for such a mundane task."

Hermione didn't know whether to feel insulted by the slant or happy that she was of some use, her arithmancy having failed her.

"Do you have any clearer idea of what happened to Remus?" she asked, desperate for any information that may help her arithmantic calculations.

"No. But what you said was interesting: I don't think that anyone could slip any potion to Lupin without his knowledge, and it would have needed to take place right after he left us, meaning in the headquarters. No, I don't believe in a poisoning at all. Which leaves..." he prompted.

"A spell? No, it's the same issue as the potion: he didn't leave headquarters and everybody here is trustworthy. A cursed object? We are in the Black Mansion after all, maybe we forgot a dark artefact somewhere when we were cleaning the house out."

"A possibility, however slim." the Slytherin nodded, thoughtful. "There is also the probability of a werewolf sickness that we do not know about. That maybe even Lupin did not know about since he doesn't mix a lot with his kind."

Hermione felt her stomach clench at the thought of them being powerless to save Remus.

After Professor Snape's visit came Dumbledore's and Alastor's, neither had good news to share. Remus' plight was unknown to all, and even the books Hermione had salvaged from the darker shelves of the Black library yielded no additional clue or insight, so she threw them against the wall in frustration.

"Sorry, Remus." she told the prone form. "I know you don't like to see books abused... But even you would agree that they're being very unhelpful. It seems the wizards who wrote books about werewolves are the same who wrote those about muggles: they don't know beans about the subject!"

"Manhandling books, Mione?" chuckled a tired Harry from the open doorway. He must have just gotten back from his day at the Ministry. "I think you need to take a break. I'll relieve you."

She smiled at his friend. It seemed Harry didn't want to leave Remus alone for a second either, and they both knew Remus would have done the same for them.

"Thanks, I think I need a shower." she said wrinkling her nose. "I'll be back in time to give Remus his potion."

She hurried through her ablutions and grabbed a snack in the kitchens. Sturgis had brought her her other meals during the day, braving his fear of the werewolf and even watching after him from the doorway when she needed a bathroom break. As she mounted the stairs, feeling much refreshed and relaxed after a good hot shower, she wondered if she should take a fresh set of clothes for Remus. Maybe Harry could bath Remus with a sponge too. Although the werewolf's body functions were slowed down to almost nothing, surely he would still need a wash from time to time.

Standing before the man's bedroom, she hesitated. It felt like she was snooping, although it was only to help her friend. Opening the door, she found a neat bedroom, quite unlike Harry's where everything had been thrown haphazardly somewhere else at some point. His wardrobe was just as tidy and she quickly found what she was looking for: a comfortable shirt, lounge-pants and... underwear. She blushed a deep crimson, suddenly wishing Madam Pomfrey was here to take care of him.

"What's the matter?" asked Harry when she returned with her bundle. Obviously she must still be flushed from her underwear-stealing adventure. Dumping Remus' clothes on her bed next to her best friend, she held out a large fluffy sponge in one hand and a basin in the other.

"Remus needs a bath." she explained.

"Scourgify?" begged Harry.

Hermione giggled, relieved that she wasn't the only one ill at ease with the duties that came with nursing someone. She shook her head.

"Madam Pomfrey doesn't want spells used on Remus until we know what happened to him."

Harry groaned, before trying his puppy-eyes on the witch. He had learned women usually caved in when the boy-who-lived looked at them like that.

"I'm not one of your brainless fan-girls, Harry!" she said, swatting his arm playfully. "But all right, I'll take care of the upper half if you take care of..hum...the rest."

And so the week went past in the same pattern: Hermione sleeping next to Remus at nights, and talking or reading to him in the day, feeding him his potion and bathing him every other day. The rest of the time, she poured over arithmantic equations, feeling she was getting closer to an answer since they had ruled out poisoning. She had included the parameters of the house, of the people living there, of major events prior to and following Remus' sickness and equations were just beginning to thread together. Hermione was very excited, this was by far the most complicated project she had attempted alone and she was fascinated by the logic and magic that weaved together, it was truly a very unique branch of magic, usually studied by muggle-borns because of the mathematical approach that wizards either distrusted or loathed.

At the end of the week, the arithmantic calculations pointed to the cause of Remus's condition, all variables pointing to the same culprit. It wasn't even a probability but a certainty. And she had checked over and over again, until she couldn't deny it. The reason for her Remus Lupin's mysterious sickness was her, Hermione Granger.


	4. Chapter 4: The Innocent Culprit

D**isclaimer: Harry Potter and his universe all belong to the delightful JK Rowling.**

**A/N: Let's face it, without Fredrika, I'd be a bit lost and multiplying plot bunnies... EVERYWHERE! Thank you for the reviews I've been receiving, they're encouraging so far :)**

Chapter 4: The Innocent Culprit

"Interesting indeed. It was ingenious to divide all the variables into spheres of influence and string them together with recent events, then extrapolating with upcoming star charts. The added input was very useful indeed. And here," Selwin Fredrik babbled on excitedly pointing at the cluster of numbers representing the last skirmish with the Death-Eaters. "Remus's sphere loses its balance, but collapses only at the full moon..." The wrinkled witch suddenly furrowed her brow as she came to an unwelcome conclusion. "I am afraid I see no mistakes here, my child."

Hermione bit her lip, trying to hold in her tears, horrified that she was truly responsible for Remus' pain.

"Being the catalyst does not mean you are guilty, Hermione." the old woman admonished, patting her arm affectionately. "From what Albus told me, your Patronus form is an entirely new spell: no one could have guessed it would affect a werewolf. After all, a regular patronus does not and werewolves can even cast their own. So do not lay blame on yourself my child."

The younger witch didn't even bother nodding, she knew she would reproach her stupid mistake all her life, despite whatever anyone told her. She kept replaying that fateful night through her mind: soaring through the air, chasing and destroying the dark vile creatures that had attacked the Order and, at the last minute, colliding accidentally into Remus. She remembered feeling a resistance at that moment, that she hadn't felt with dementors, but had dismissed it on the count of her exhaustion. How foolish!

So Hermione had decided to leave Remus in Harry's care, as it was the week-end, in order to present her ultimate arithmancy chart to Professor Fredrik, hoping the experienced witch would find an error, a variable she had overlooked or an equation she had miscalculated. Anything that didn't point an accusing finger at her. But now... Now, she would have to live with the knowledge that she had tortured and disfigured beyond recognition one of the kindest wizards she had ever met, not to mention she was lucky he was even alive.

"Come, Hermione, we need to show this to Albus. Maybe he will know what to do from here, he usually does." The elderly witch told her, still trying to console the distraught witch as they left the headquarters' library, heading to the front door. Thankfully, Hermione was accustomed to apparate when in an emotional turmoil, one of the only advantages of being a warrior in these troubled times, so she had no problem arriving at her precise destination without getting splinched. The two women hurriedly walked up the path to Hogwarts castle, pulling up the hoods of their travelling cloaks to discourage nosy students from approaching.

"Jelly baby." Professor's Fredrik's wispy voice told the Gargoyle, demanding entry to the headmaster's office.

"Is Remus all right?" asked the headmaster as soon as he spotted Hermione's splotched face and Selwin's usually cheery face marred by concern. The old witch ushered the curly-haired witch into an armchair when she started sobbing anew.

"No change that I know of, Albus."

Reassured that there was no impending catastrophe to deal with, the headmaster resumed his role of host, calling a House-Elf for tea and biscuits, as well as offering his unexpected guests a lemon drop.

"It is always a pleasure to see you Selwin, and you Miss Granger. But I imagine you have come here for a reason?" the old man prompted, all business now.

"Well, yes... for two reasons actually. First, I think I have nothing more to teach Hermione. She has just brought me an arithmancy chart that she completed this past week, using combinations and techniques I never even thought of applying myself. She substituted spheres of influence in place of linear time-lines... Can you imagine the possibilities, Albus? I never would have thought it possible for a student of mine to accomplish an apprenticeship in just over a year, but then, Hermione is not your average witch, is she?"

Albus Dumbedore chuckled at that understatement. Hermione Granger had been noticed, praised and singled out as the brightest witch of her age since her first year in the wizarding world.

"I did warn you, Selwin."

"Yes, you did. As a matter of fact, I think she can replace me as an arithmancer in the Order as of right now, and I'll take my leave, as we agreed. I am getting too old for all this, Albus."

The wizard fidgeted in his high-backed chair, adjusting his already tidy desk, before he answered uneasily.

"Alas, Miss Granger has another unique talent that requires her presence on the front line of our future battles. Only she can save countless lives, as she has done already in the past." the old wizard glanced at the witch in question but she was still out of sorts, completely oblivious of the fact that her future was being discussed and decided right in front of her. "We will still need you, Selwin, when Miss Granger is putting her own life on the line."

Selwin Fredrik's eyes narrowed at her old friend. She had surmised he was still as sly as he used to be when they had attended Hogwarts as student together, but she now thought he had gotten worse with age. She knew it would only be a question of time before he came back on his promise to free her of her involvement in the Order when she had finished apprenticing Hermione Granger. That the old fox tried guilting her into it and that he used children as weapons in this conflict proved he would stop at nothing for his 'greater good'.

"Very well. I will assist Hermione then." she conceded, placing herself under the young witch's authority rather that his. "Which brings us to the arithmancy chart that earned young Hermione her mastery." The old witch unrolled the parchment, placing it on Albus' desk between them. She enjoyed watching his frown of puzzlement as he peered at the paper through his half-moon spectacles, nimbly stroking his beard: despite being a most powerful wizard, he had never really understood the complexity and subtlety of arithmancy.

"So...uhm... Yes, this is... different."

Selwin snorted. Merlin forbid the old wizard confessed he couldn't make head nor tail of the magical diagrams before him.

"Quite. I'll explain the issues if you don't mind." She said, knowing it would be a cold day in hell when Albus volunteered to read an arithmancy chart. "To sum up, Hermione discovered her new Patronus form is somehow the cause of Remus Lupin's sickness. It has apparently affected the man here," she pointed to a cluster of equations darkening the creamy parchment, "but it didn't show until the full moon, so I'm inclined to say it actually affected the wolf inside, which would explain the delay between the two events. But as much as those probabilities near 100%, the other end of the projections for the future near zero. It's a complete blur, and I'm not sure what to make of it."

Dumbledore stood to pace his office, humming softly as he thought about this unexpected turn of events. So, Miss Granger's patronus harmed not only dementors but also werewolves. It could serve the Light well against Voldemort's lupine allies. In fact, they could severely diminish the dark wizard's troop. He wondered if she could go against the vampires he knew Voldemort had been recruiting in Eastern Europe. It wasn't such a stretch to imagine that maybe her power extended to the destruction of all dark creatures. Not that Remus was a dark creature, he conceded, but his inner blood-thirsty wolf certainly was.

The elderly wizard stopped in mid-step, a useful idea occurring to him.

"Miss Granger." he called, commanding her attention to him with his seldom used no-nonsense voice. "Did anything strike you as odd when you 'bumped' into Remus? Compared to the dementors for example."

He knew he was on the right path when he noticed the young witch blanch, the red splotches on her face and eyes standing out all the more.

"There was a... a resistance. As if something was trying to fight back. But the dementors, I just went right through them."

"Have you mastered the spell yet?" he asked. At the negative shake of her head, he went on urgently. "I think you should continue your training tomorrow. I will send Severus if you wish."

"How will_ that_ help Remus?" she spat, thinking the headmaster was more interested in his own needs than in his subordinates' lives.

"More than you think, I gather." he answered with his eyes twinkling, amused at the young woman's defensiveness of the werewolf. "It is just possible that you unknowingly hurt the dark creature that inhabits Remus, but did not destroy it entirely like you have done with the dementors. It could explain why Remus is stuck halfway between the werewolf and the wizard. There was enough of the wolf left to ignite the transformation at the full moon, but not enough to change completely or to revert back to his human form."

He paused in case the dejected witch had a question, it was vital she understood why she needed to master her patronus. That it would serve him too in the long run was only an added bonus.

"I believe that if you touch him again in that form, you will destroy what is left of the werewolf, leaving only the wizard behind."

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked hopefully, a little colour returning to her.

"It is the best we can do at this point." he hedged her question, it wouldn't do to dash her optimism at this point, although he knew she was smart enough to read between the lines. But she finally accepted, and, to his astonishment, even accepted Severus' help. He had thought that she, like her friends and fellow Order members, wouldn't want to be in the spy's company if she could help it. Distrust ran deep where the Slytherin was concerned. He made a mental note to keep a close eye on two of his most prized tools, just in case.

* * *

"You're not focusing, Miss Granger." Professor Snape repeated once more with an exaggerated sigh.

Hermione scowled at the dark-haired man lounging on the library's sofa, as relaxed as she had ever seen him before. She bit down on her tart reply of "I am too!", knowing very well that she wasn't when she was worrying too much about Remus lying unconscious upstairs, with Sturgis looking over him from the far end of the room. When she didn't answer, the wizard's voice adopted his more scathing tones.

"Don't tell me you're still thinking about the werewolf. I'm sure even a dunderhead like Podmore can look after an unconscious man. Focus, Miss Granger, focus!"

He was right, again, so Hermione stiffened her resolve: he was doing his for Remus! They had already tried a couple more incantation that produced nothing remotely close to her patronus form, and they still had a dozen more to try. She checked the next one on the list and smiled: she particularly liked this one as it seemed quite appropriate to her and had a nice ring to it, although Remus had almost jotted it down as a joke. The young woman cleared her mind before summoning the strong feelings of love until she could almost taste the cheer happiness that came with it. It always made her bit giddy at this point but she managed to correctly guide her wand through the necessary pattern and intoned distinctly:

"Patronus Totalus!"

She saw her wand tip illuminate almost immediately, as did Professor Snape, who abruptly stood to attention. The pure white light travelled much faster than it had the first time and in a matter of seconds, one minute at the most, she was once more hovering slightly above the carpeted floor, translucent locks of hair reaching out all around her like vigilant sentinels. Hermione revelled in the bliss that came with her transformation and may have basked in it a while longer, leaving her worries behind her, if it hadn't been for Snape's interruption.

"Remarkable." the wizard breathed out. "Your memory did not do you justice. You're breathtaking."

The young woman faltered in disbelief at the snarky man's words, her ethereal form suddenly reverting back to its human one as she fell in a pile on the floor. The Slytherin laughed a deep belly laugh, startling her twice in the space of a few minutes. Finally having enough of being laughed at, she snapped at him.

"Help me up instead off giggling like a first-year."

That effectively put a damper to his much too jovial mood, but he still had a smirk plastered to his face when he extended a hand to her.

"Why Miss Granger, it seems I have just found a flaw to your patronus. Let's hope for our salvation that the Dark Lord never asks me to compliment you."

She snorted, it wasn't very lady-like she knew, but the image of Voldemort goading his death-eaters into flattering her in the midst of battle was just too unbelievably funny.

"I see wounding Remus isn't weighing too much on your conscience." came an icy voice from the entrance.

They both turned: he, glaring at whoever was cruel enough to castigate the girl and she, blanching because she thought it was true, that she didn't deserve to be happy as long as Remus was suffering.

"Miss Tonks, if you can't keep your asinine opinion to yourself, may I suggest you march your clumsy arse out of here and go make a fool of yourself elsewhere?" he said acidly, keeping a hand on Miss Granger to steady her, because she was so pale and shaking, he feared she would faint on the spot.

"I would love to talk with Remus but seeing that someone as good as _killed_ him..." the auror trailed off, staring pointedly at the trembling girl.

"Miss Tonks!" the Potions Master barked out, in an attempt to shut her up. It worked so well on his students, that at this point, they would have probably wet themselves in fear. The young auror, however, had her mind set on hurting the witch half-hiding behind him and didn't even wince.

"How dare you act so carefree? Joking around? Laughing? When Remus is in so much pain he had to be put to sleep!" the pink-haired witch continued, taking a few steps closer to pin the younger witch with a death stare. Her hair and eyes darkened as the metamorphmagus bristled with barely-contained rage.

"What would you know about it, Tonks?" Hermione said, gaining confidence as her own anger started taking over her remorse. "I haven't seen you offering to take care of Remus, or even visit him for that matter!"

Hermione stepped in front of her Professor, shaking of his steadying hand and planting her feet firmly just a few feet from the auror's.

"If you care so much about him, why didn't you?"

"Because...he..." she mumbled incoherently, and, taking a step back, the clumsy witch tripped on the uneven carpet and stumbled a few steps back. "I would, but he... It's your fault! You disfigured him! I can't..."

"You can't look at him?" Hermione asked in disbelief. "He's still Remus! Whatever he looks like, he'll always be Remus!" she finished, outraged on his behalf. She would never have guessed the woman was so shallow as to put somebody's looks before the person himself.

The Gryffindor swirled around: "We have work to do. Leave." she said coldly to the other witch.

When Tonks left, -and it was hard to miss her exit even with her back turned to her since she slammed the door in a very childish manner- Professor Snape stopped her wand-arm that had started to trace the pattern for the _Patronus Totalus._

"No." he told her kindly. "You're not in the right set of mind right now. Take a break, we have plenty of time now that we found the formula."

Hermione wanted to disagree, she wanted to get on with it and heal Remus as soon as possible, but she was so wound up from the confrontation with Tonks that her hands were twitching violently.

"Just a few minutes, then." she conceded, letting her Professor guide her to the sofa. She didn't even protest when a minute later, he shoved a warm cup of tea in her hands. Tea always soothed her.

"Did you mean it?" he asked her in a surprisingly soft tone.

"About what?"

"That she should care for Remus whatever he looks like? He's really badly maimed, distorted even, to the point that he hardly looks human any more. Could _you_ still love him if you were her."

"Of course." the witch answered, as if it was obvious. "I never understood people who staked so much on physical appearance. Lavender and Parvati were like that too, and I had to put up with their crap for seven years, so I won't stand hearing such idiocies again."

Severus Snape nodded, quietly sipping his tea as he seemed to be lost in thought, and she wondered what that had been about. The man sure was surprising, he was very different when he wasn't in a classroom full of dunderheads and potentially explosive cauldrons. She smiled when she realised that when he wasn't doing his best to be intimidating and unapproachable, he was actually funny and caring. He was, in the end, just a normal man.

The tea having accomplished its purpose, Hermione jumped to her feet, feeling much calmer and more determined than ever to master her spell.

"Ready when you are, Miss Granger." the wizard told her, as if he had been waiting for her all along.

"Patronus Totalus!" she articulated after her mental preparations. It worked instantly and she was once more the glowing translucent being with wild probing tentacles instead of hair.

"Good. Now, you've ended the spell once from exhaustion, and another from surprise. Let's see if you can break it by your only will."

Hermione was glad she had asked for the man's assistance, she hadn't even thought of that. What use would she to the Order be if every time she used this spell, she could only stop it by exhausting her magic and ending up unconscious for several days? She tried breaking her concentration but she was basking in a sea of pure delight, bliss and contentment that it was hard to turn her mind away from such positive feelings. Why had surprise worked then? A shock? Yes that could explain the break in her mental state. But she could hardly use that technique, how could she shock herself? Ridiculous. That led her to think of Tonks and anger started bubbling in her heart. Anger! Yes, that was such a strong emotion it could totally throw her out of her blissful state. Concentrating on the pink-haired witch, Hermione recalled her hurtful words and felt her patronus form dissolving.

"Much smoother, Miss Granger. It seems you have mastered your spell."

The young witch grinned.

"I would like to verify it was effectively surprise last time your patronus failed, if you have the energy to cast it again."

Hermione shrugged. She hadn't held the Patronus long enough to feel drained yet.

"But, sir... How are you going to surprise me if I know you're going to try? I'll be on my guard, can't help it."

"Trust me." he answered simply, and strangely, she did.

Hermione cast her Patronus again, finding it easier each time she tried and waited for her Professor to surprise her, doubting he would manage, as she hovered like a dazzling ghost before him.

"Hermione?" he called, the simple use of her given name by none other than Severus Snape enough for her patronus form to waver, but she had been expecting _something,_ so she managed to maintain it nonetheless. She raised a ghostly eyebrow at the wizard.

"Is that the best you can do, sir?" she teased.

"Please call me Severus." he replied politely, effectively shocking her into her human shape as she completely lost focus of her blissful state.

The tall dark man smirked at her in triumph while he helped her off her bum for the second time that day.

"You need Occlumency lessons." he chuckled at her discomfited expression.

"I think that would be safer, sir." she admitted, shuddering at the image of her losing her control of her _Patronus Totalus_ at a great height. The results would be much nastier than a little bruise on her backside, of that she was sure.

"You may still call me Severus, if you wish."

Hermione looked in bewilderment at the wizard, trying to gauge if he was mocking her or not and saw him roll his eyes exaggeratedly.

"You are no longer my student, I see no reason for you to continue calling me Professor. You're also an adult, a fully-fledged Order member and a Master in your own field from what I've heard."

Hermione considered his word: presented like that, it did seem silly to continue calling him Professor. It didn't mean they were friends, but they did get along, so maybe that could be possible. Just a moment ago, she never would have thought in a million years that she would be on a first-name basis with Professor Snape one day. Actually, she would have bet she had better chances of braiding Voldemort's nonexistent hair at his slumber-party while he varnished her nails.

"Severus." she said, tasting his name and deciding she liked it. "I might as well since you're already calling me by _my _given name, it's only fair."

"I still won't take cheek from you." he told her in mock severity.

"You'll just have to get used t it then." she chided, enjoying the more personal banter that had just developed between them. "So, what do we do now? Can I try the patronus on Remus?"

"I'd rather you were fully rested before you tried, so we don't hurt Lupin more than we heal him. And Dumbledore and I think we should rouse him before we do anything, to ask his opinion. We are not _entirely_ certain it will succeed, so it is his choice to make."

Hermione bit her lip, drawing a little blood in her anxiety. She was scared their idea wouldn't work. She was afraid Remus would realize the extent of what she had inflicted him and hate her forever for it. But she still wanted to be there when he woke up.

"Tomorrow?" she inquired, her voice shaking a little.

"Tomorrow." Severus acquiesced.


	5. Chapter 5: Light Therapy

D**isclaimer: Harry Potter and his universe all belong to the delightful JK Rowling.**

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, I love how you are all hating Tonks with me! And many thanks to my beta Fredrika who works really fast at correcting my chapters so you can read them as soon as possible!**

Chapter 5: Light Therapy

Dumbledore, Madam Pomfrey and Severus met Hermione in the kitchen early the next morning to discuss how they would deal with Remus and convince him to accept what they thought would be his best chance at recovery.

"I don't think I should be the one talking to him." Hermione said dejectedly. "He'll hate me for being responsible in the first place and he'll probably refuse to listen to anything more I have to say."

The others all nodded their agreement. Now was not the time to take unnecessary chances: once they had roused the werewolf from his dormant state, there was no telling how long he would remain conscious.

"Lupin and I already hate each other, so I'm out." Severus smirked.

Hermione doubted it very much, but the other two seemed to accept his words without a second thought, probably because they had witnessed their childhood "rivalry" first-hand.

"I think it would be best..." started the headmaster but was cut off by a cheery greeting as Harry bustled across the kitchen like a hungry hippogriff, throwing himself on the bench next to Hermione, before lurching out for the coffee and plate of warm crumpets.

"I'll talk to Remus." he announced happily at the small gathering that looked at him strangely. "What? You didn't think I wouldn't come, did you? Well, I'm not waiting for an invitation, and I can't wait to tell Remus he got taken down by a _girl_."

Hermione smiled fondly at her friend. Harry had taken on more and more characteristics of a Marauder the longer he spent in Remus' company, and he had bloomed from an angry, depressive teenager to a happy-go-lucky adult who never shirked his responsibilities and fascinated people with his sparkling personality. Hermione was convinced that most of the witches, and even a few wizards, had joined the Order of the Phoenix only for an opportunity to be close to their beloved Boy-who-lived. Personally, Harry found it creepy, but accepted it grudgingly, for the greater good.

"Harry, my boy." Dumbledore replied sternly, gazing at him over his glasses. "You do realize we are not certain our solution will work?"

"Of course it will! It's Hermione doing it after all. I'd trust her with my life, and so would Remus. I think she should talk to him..."

"I-I just can't, Harry." the young witch blurted out, almost panicked at the very idea.

"...so I'm the next best thing." the cheery green-eyed wizard concluded without missing a beat.

"Bleeding Gryffindors. So nauseating this early in the morning." Severus grumbled from his cup of coffee, being largely ignored by everyone, while Dumbledore gave his assent to Harry's proposal of being the one to speak to Remus.

* * *

Hermione led the group up the dark creaky stairs, all the way to the attic where Remus still slept under the influence of the draught of the living death, and into what she had started to consider as _their_ room. She had done her best to clean out the place, but it had been empty for too many years, accumulating years of dust before housing Buckbeak and then serving once a month as a werewolf's playground. Suffice it to say the drab place would never know enough scourgifies.

Hermione dismissed Sturgis, who had kindly accepted to look after the sick wizard while she was busy downstairs with the others, and she automatically went over to Remus' bed to check on him, just as she had done many times over the last week. Madam Pomfrey interrupted her routine by nudging her aside.

"I'll take over from here if you don't mind, Hermione."

Blushing at her presumptuousness, having momentarily forgotten the mediwitch was there to take over her duties as care-giver, Hermione was about to apologize to the older woman when she saw her winking with a knowing smile. Madam Pomfrey then cast a general mediscan.

"He's just the same as he was a week ago, Albus. Rouse him, but be prepared to use a stasis spell on him if his condition gets any worse. Harry, come here, the closer, the better. Hermione and Severus, you may want to stand back, in case he really does get angry." The nurse ordered everyone around, used to having people obey without too much complaint.

Hermione stood next to Severus, feeling a bit like a pariah standing on the sidelines, but she knew she may be called upon very soon to use her _Patronus Totalus_ so she gathered her wits and began thinking happy thoughts to be in the right set of mind. Severus, picking up on her change in posture, placed an encouraging hand on her shoulder, just like he had done when Tonks had verbally attacked her. A gesture she was starting to appreciate and could draw strength from. And she sorely needed the support when her heart started beating wildly at the sight of Dumbledore twirling his pale wand in the air: any second now, Remus would be awoken from his forced slumber and she wasn't sure what to expect.

She heard a guttural moan first, and then Harry, who had her back to her, was encouraging Remus to wake up. The wounded wizard shifted in the bed, trying to push himself up but Madam Pomfrey easily pushed the man back into the cushions, ordering him to stay still.

"Remus? It's me, Harry. Can you hear me?"

He was answered by a growl that could have been a yes or a no, it was hard to tell. Hermione wondered if his vocal cords had been damaged, or if it was his mouth's deformity that encumbered his speech. She heard a few more grunts and snarls, moans and wails.

"I'm sorry mate, I didn't get that. I think we'll have to stick to nodding and shaking. Agreed?" Harry said lightly but Hermione perceived a strain in his voice: he was obviously forcing himself to remain cheerful, but seeing Remus so badly crippled must cost him dearly. "We think something happened to you, or rather to Moony, when Hermione went through you in her Patronus shape. Albus thinks that by doing it again, what remains of the wolf will disappear and you'll be... like yourself again, except for your furry little problem. We want to know if you'll do it?"

Hermione held her breath, she couldn't see Remus from her vantage point since he was mostly hidden by Harry, but she hoped he agreed, that he would trust her just one more time. Craning her neck to see his response, she was startled when a partly distorted hand pushed Harry aside. Her attention was immediately captured by a set of eyes that were obviously searching for her: one eye was his usual greyish blue while the other was a larger orb of molten gold, but both were suffused with pain. He motioned for her to come closer, so she went without hesitation. When she was at arm's length, Remus' arm shot up and pulled her closer still, but she wasn't afraid he would hurt her, only that he could hate her, so she didn't even flinch at his sudden actions. Remus cocked his head to one side in a very canine way, she had to admit, and looked deep into her eyes, before giving a single firm nod and releasing her.

"I need to take your clothes off." she told him, trying not to blush at saying something so forward and she swore Remus managed a chuckle before he nodded his consent. Hermione would need to see the progress of the healing so she pushed the blanket aside and Madam Pomfrey helped her take his pants and tee-shirt off, doing their best to hurt him as little as possible.

"All right." she said, taking a deep breath. "Everyone stand back, my hair tends to get a bit crazy."

"We already knew that, Mione." Harry jested despite the seriousness of the situation. Marauder indeed.

"I meant in my patronus form, _Harry. _And you're a fine one to talk about messy hair." she replied reprovingly. Really there was time and a place for jokes, and in her books, this wasn't one. She stood besides Remus' bed, looking down at him, and filled her being with her love of life, feeling it build up rapidly.

"Patronus Totalus!" she called out, seeing the werewolf's eyes widen slightly as he recognised his own incantation, before she felt the pure white light course all over her body. Hermione's ghostly body naturally drifted upwards so she decided to hover just above Remus who hadn't taken his eyes off of her.

She vaguely made out Madam Pomfrey's exclamation of surprise at the sight of her, but her gaze was riveted to the wizard laying in bed with a hopeful gleam in his own mismatched eyes.

"Ready?" she asked in her resonant voice.

At his nod, she unleashed what little control she had over her tendrils of hair and they all moved simultaneously to latch onto the wizard. She thrust her arms forward and lay her unsubstantial hands upon his chest. Remus shivered almost imperceptibly at first, but the next moment he was twitching and then shaking as if overcome by convulsions. She couldn't tear her eyes away, she knew she was hurting him, but she could also see the dark magic, the curse that is lycanthropy, leave his body. Tears fell from her wide-open eyes, rolling down her cheeks and she saw the droplets of water, that shone like little stars, land on Remus as if they were solid. It had an unforeseen effect: Remus' skin seemed to glow on the surface very briefly where the tears had been absorbed and the healing in those places was much quicker. It also seemed to calm him down, as if he too was feeling some of her bliss seep into him with her tears -actually she wouldn't be surprised if he could. She cried some more, but from joy this time at seeing their plan work, the emotional roller-coaster was taxing however and she had trouble maintaining her patronus shape. She flew closer to him, hovering just above his body. Just a little more time, she thought to herself, seeing much more of the handsome wizard and almost nothing of the deformed wolf. However, the healing was much more taxing than she had thought. In comparison, destroying a hundred dementors was easy so it probably had to do with the nature of the wolf, she'd have to ask the headmaster about it.

Just a little more, she encouraged herself, still mesmerized by Remus' eyes. There was still a peck of gold in one of his eyes and then he would be completely healed. Just a few more seconds.

Hermione never knew if she had managed it as she lost consciousness, having drained herself once more of her magic.

* * *

The group assisting Remus' healing all watched in morbid fascination as the ethereal Hermione seemed to be draining the anguished wizard beneath her of the dark magic that twisted his body. Only when the witch dropped like a dead weight right on top of the now-human Remus did they snap out of their trance.

"What happened?" asked Harry as he precipitately ran to his friends' side. "Are they all right?"

"Exhaustion." came Madam Pomfrey's response after having checked on the two inert Gryffindors. "Both magical and physical, they'll need to rest a few days. But it seems to have worked, Remus appears entirely human now, although I'll need to do a complete check-up when he wakes up. Of her too." she added, pointing at the curly haired witch, now curled up against Remus.

Harry whooped and tried to high-five Dumbledore, who looked uncomprehendingly at the young man's antics. Harry looked hopefully at his old potions professor but only received his usual sneer. The grinning young wizard settled for shrugging good-naturedly and ran back out of the attic, babbling something about having to tell Ron.

"If my job is done here, headmaster? I do have copies to grade, lessons to plan and a murdering psychopath to serve." Snape announced in his most bored voice, picking imaginary fleece off his impeccable black robes.

"Of course, Severus. I wouldn't dream of ruining your plans for the week-end." the old man chuckled. He had always enjoyed Severus' dark humour, he found it refreshing.

The nurse and the headmaster watched the retreating billowing black robes of their colleague with bemused expressions.

"Well, Poppy, would you like to join me for a celebratory cup of tea?" asked Dumbledore, seeing no reason to waste his time in the bleak attic any longer.

"You go ahead, Albus. I'll just make young Hermione and Remus more comfortable before I leave."

she answered dismissively, using a _mobilicorpus_ to lift the witch into her own bed. She plucked the wand out of the young woman's hand, nodding in approval at her unconscious effort to hold unto it, no matter what. The nurse then undressed the young witch into the nightdress she found stashed under her pillow, and covered Remus with his previously discarded clothes, marvelling that he did not have so much as a scratch on him now. She tucked their blankets around them and closed the door quietly behind her, leaving the two Gryffindors to a well deserved rest.

* * *

When Hermione woke up, her ears picked up the familiar sounds of a game of exploding snap and the banter of the two boys she called her best friends. They really didn't have any common sense to be playing such a nosy game right next to someone who was supposed to be sleeping. Checking herself over, she felt healthy and rested but was famished. She sat up on the side of her bed, and peered over at Remus' bed. She was a bit surprised to find it empty, but concluded he must be well since the boys sounded as cheerful as ever.

As a matter of fact, they were too engrossed in their game to even notice her, so she decided to slip quietly out of the attic to teach them a lesson about "Constant vigilance!", knowing that Alastor would approve.

Finding her way down to the basement-kitchen, she wondered how long she had been out this time: she had been hoping that the more she got to practice the spell, the shorter the after-effects would last. She felt nowhere near as weak as the last time she had used her _Patron__us Totalus_, but maybe it depended on the number, or species of the dark creature she faced. Or maybe she had just slept longer than the last time. She groaned, thinking of the waste of time that would mean: she could have been reading so many books instead.

Opening the door, the scent of breakfast hit her nose, complete with fresh coffee, bacon and eggs. Her stomach complained at not being fed immediately with a loud gurgle. At least, she now knew it must be morning, although not too early since both Ron and Harry were fully awake and functional. As she stepped in, ready to throw a general "Good morning!" as she usually did, she discovered that there was only one late breakfaster, who was none other than Remus Lupin, and the greeting died on her lips.

Hermione realised she should have talked to Harry before, to sound him out about Remus: Was the wizard completely healed? Did he hate her for what she'd done? Did he want her to leave Grimmauld Place?

Remus did not seem to notice her, which was unusual. He would normally hear or smell her long before she even entered the kitchen and say hello without so much as having to turn in his seat to see who had entered. It had been unnerving at first when they had all started living together at headquarters. But now, it was the fact that he appeared completely oblivious of her presence that jarred her. She wasn't sure if it meant he had lost his werewolf acute senses or if he was ignoring her on purpose.

Hermione couldn't guess the wizard's mood as he was sitting with his back to her, but she noticed that he was still wearing the clothes she had picked up for him and that he had been wearing when she had healed him. So he had probably just awakened too: Was that a good or a bad thing for her? He probably needed time to sort through his own thoughts. But, deciding she couldn't very well stand there all day, Hermione plucked up her vaunted Gryffindor courage and cleared her throat in the distinctive false cough that calls for attention.

"Hermione?" he asked, looking surprised, as he shifted in his seat. "What in Merlin's name are you doing here? Where's Harry?"

Then, Remus' face turned angry, hitting her like a metaphorical bludger and sending her thoughts in a panicked frenzy: Oh, Gods! She was right! He was furious with her, he was going to throw her out of the house.

"Damnit, I asked him to look after you. This is exactly why I told him he can't have a new pet."

The wizard was confusing her, what was he going on about now? She stared at him uncomprehendingly, too afraid to speak up now.

"Hermione, are you sure you're all right? You haven't said a word yet."

"I- I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" she blurted out the first thing that she had in mind, probably because it had been hanging in there for over a week. Her guilt at what she had done to her friend haunting her days as well as her nights. She hung her head in shame, ready to take on anything he would throw at her, whether it be words or hexes, she would take it all without a complaint, she deserved it thrice over.

"Do you have a fever?" she heard him say and all of a sudden he was standing right before her -she could see his naked feet close to hers- and a callused warm hand was resting on her forehead.

"What? No! Why?" she blabbered, not understanding why he was angry with her one moment and caring the next. Looking up at him through her lashes, she saw he now looked amused.

"Well, you're here when you should be in bed, and you're sprouting nonsense in what I can only assume is a muggle nightshirt, because it is way too revealing to the taste of your average witch." He looked her up and down with a wriggling of his eyebrows Sirius would have been proud of.

Blushing, Hermione looked down at her skimpy white cotton nightie that held up with two thin straps. It wasn't her fault, she had really tried the more traditional pyjamas but she couldn't fall asleep, feeling too hot and smothered in them. So, she had resorted to the lighter muggle nightwear, something she might come to regret as she hoped it had been Madam Pomfrey who had changed her into more comfortable clothing before she left and not Harry or Ron, or Merlin forbid, Dumbledore or Severus. There was a distinct lack of women living at Grimmauld Place and she promised herself to enlist the first woman she could put her hands on. Except Tonks, she rapidly amended with a moue of distaste.

Just then, they heard a stampede of hurried footsteps and cries of distress storming down the ancient staircase, soon joined by Mrs Black's shrieks of outrage.

"That would be your watchful guards I presume." Remus said ironically.

He didn't need an answer as the old door slammed open against the wall and a panting Harry, holding Hermione's wand and robes with one hand while he held his own wand in the other, shouted that she had been kidnapped.

"Hardly." Hermione answered amused. "But thanks for bringing me these."

Her friend's eyes snapped over to her accusingly and then quickly away as he blushed from seeing her in her short nightie. She snatched her belongings from his hand and threw her robe over herself, relishing in the warmth. She really needed that cup of coffee if she hadn't noticed until now that she had walked across the entire house wearing barely a stitch of clothes on.

"Why don't we all sit down? I'm thinking we all have a lot of questions?" Remus suggested, returning to his seat.

Harry and Ron shrugged, dropping down next to each other on the opposite bench, leaving her to sit next to Remus. Oh, boy... this talk was going to be even more embarrassing than she had initially thought.

"Sooo..." Ron said, unsure of where this was going but feeling uncomfortable in the lingering silence. "I heard you were bloody brilliant, Hermione. I wish I'd been there to see that, but even Harry had to crash the party."

"It was hardly a party, Ronald." she snapped angrily, grabbing a piece of toast to calm her stomach's rumblings but too queasy to eat anything else now.

"Yeah, you would probably have puked, Ron." Harry chuckled. "If we kept Remus hidden in the attic, it was for a good reason."

"That bad, huh?" Remus asked, laughing it off. Peeking at his profile, Hermione saw he had a twinkle dancing in his eyes and a quirky smile playing on his lips. Damn the wizard, what was he playing at? Wasn't he furious at her? How could he find what he had endured amusing in any way?

"Yeah!" Harry answered, snickering. "You would have lost a beauty contest competing against one of Hagrid's blast-ended skrewt."

"Harry!" she finally cried out, outraged by his insensitivity, she was standing up, her fists clenched so tight her knuckles were white and she was shaking from suppressed fear, anger and guilt. She had kept all those emotions bottled up while she had taken care of Remus. At first, she hadn't broken down out of remorse when she was given a chance to help the one she had wronged. But those emotions had just kept building up, and now she felt she had finally reached breaking point. Knowing none of them felt comfortable around a crying witch, she fled the kitchen without a word.


	6. Chapter 6: Candidates

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everything from his realm belongs to its creator, J.K. ROWLING. Like you didn't know that already.**

**A/N: I was very unsure of the last chapter but my ****super-beta pulled me through my doubts, so all hail Fredrika! And your reviews help a lot too, thank you readers! I'm happy some of you have been literally laughing out loud at moments and I apologize in advance for the seriousness of the next chapter, but**** there **_**is**_** a war going on, you know ;)**

Chapter 6: Candidates

Remus found Hermione sobbing in one of the dark unused rooms in the upper stories of Grimmauld Place. He had never seen the young woman so distressed before, she was always so strong and optimistic. He was even more alarmed to learn from Harry that he was the cause of it, since she was probably feeling guilty about what had happened to him. He left the door ajar so the hallway lights would spill into the dark room and help him make his way to the young woman without falling over the various discarded pieces of furniture littering the dusty room.

"Hermione?" he called gently, like he would a wild animal, afraid to scare her away.

She jumped around, realizing she was no longer alone, and hastily wiped her eyes with the back of her hands.

"Oh... Remus? What are you doing here?" She asked uncertainly.

"Looking for you actually. Mind if I sit down?" He replied, motioning to the table she was sitting on, her legs dangling in mid-air.

Hermione shook in the negative and wiggled over on the old rickety table to give him enough space. She was obviously not in the mood for a talk, looking so depressed, she was probably hoping to be left alone right now, so he wasn't surprised she remained silent. If he wanted to have a chat with her, he'd have to do the talking.

"I hope you're not upset because of me." he started after a few minutes of silence, and seeing she wasn't responding, continued. "Harry said you might. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You're always feeling responsible for everyone and everything around here. But you can't, Hermione, especially in the middle of a war, you'd go crazy before it all ends. There will be more deaths and you can't save everyone."

The witch sniffled, making him chuckle. It was never agreeable for an over-achiever to be told there were limits to what they could accomplish.

"But you saved my life. And not just once, but twice. I hope you realize that." he emphasized, trying to catch her eye but she stubbornly kept her eyes on at her hands that were nervously toying with the robe she had thrown over her nightgown, revealing too much of her naked legs for his comfort.

"But I hurt you. So much. You were..." she faltered, the words stuck in her throat.

"The ugliest thing that ever walked this earth according to Harry." he laughed mirthlessly. "Not that I remember much."

"You were in pain because of me. A lot of pain." she offered, trying despite his assurances to lay blame on herself somehow.

"I'm always in pain at that phase of the moon, it was nothing I haven't endured before." he lied smoothly. Truth was, it had been excruciating, and the little he remembered was enough to make him break a sweat. "It's nothing you have to blame yourself for. I hope you understand that."

Hermione let escape a shuddering breath, as if all the misery of the world was escaping her.

"And you can't imagine what a gift you've bestowed me. You cured me of lycanthropy, for Merlin's sake! Short of my soul, there's nothing I wouldn't have sacrificed for that."

Hermione searched his eyes, gauging his honesty, and she must have been satisfied because she slumped a little against him in relief and he found he didn't mind the proximity. He used to always be wary of any physical contact because he was a werewolf, as if he would somehow infect them with the dark creature that inhabited him with a simple contact. Knowing he was just a normal man now, he found the human touch enjoyable, or was it just Hermione's? After all, he felt so grateful and indebted to her, he was having difficulties containing his joy and the overwhelming urge to crush her in a hug. Only his reserved nature, carefully built over the years, held him back.

"So...you're not mad at me?" she wanted to make sure. "You don't hate me because of what I did to you?"

"On the contrary." he smiled.

"And you're not a werewolf any-more? Are you sure?" she quizzed eagerly, more like her old self.

"Well... We'll only be completely sure at the next full moon, of course," he answered, "but my sense of smell and hearing have severely decreased, to human levels I guess. It's a bit disorienting actually, but I'll happily get used to that."

"That's great! I'm so glad for you, it'll make your life so much easier." Hermione was finally smiling in return, guilt no longer weighing her down, until, for no apparent reason, she frowned and got him worried again.

"What's the matter?" he asked, seeing she was eyeing him critically, one hand playing absent-mindedly with a loose thread on her robe, while the other was hovering near him as if she wanted to touch him but didn't dare to, like an archaeologist finding a rare artefact that would turn to dust at the slightest contact.

"There's something else." she said in the far-away voice one used when thinking aloud, her big brown eyes examining him from head to toe. She bounced off the table to face him, their eyes so close and almost at the same level as he remained seated. His heart started racing, he didn't mind proximity but this was a bit too much to his taste: she was much too close, too engrossed examining him to realize it herself, and he just wasn't used to having a woman so near him.

"I've got it!" the witch exclaimed happily, clapping her hands excitedly. "It's your hair!"

"What's wrong with it?" he wondered, reaching out to touch it without thinking. He hadn't looked in a mirror this morning, preferring to head straight for the kitchen, so he had no idea what she was going on about.

"It was grey brown before." she clarified.

"Well, yes. Lycanthropy causes premature ageing, as I'm sure you know." he replied with a grimace. He had always thought it unfair to age faster than everyone around him, as if being a werewolf wasn't bad enough already.

"You lost the silver." Hermione said, smirking because he had not caught on yet. "Can't say for the wrinkles though." she teased.

Remus conjured a small mirror, holding it before him. The room was dark but he clearly looked much younger than he had just a week ago: shiny hair without a trace of silver, smoother skin and he didn't look sickly or haggard, like he was recovering from a long-time illness as he usually did. He barely looked his own age.

"Sweet Circe...this is strange. Not that I'm complaining mind you. It seems the wolf was more of a separate entity than we ever thought, if getting rid of it took away the added years." he thought aloud, awe evident in his voice. Just then, he heard a low grumbling and looked over to the source of the strange noise, which was Hermione's stomach.

"Come on." he told the blushing witch, extending his hand in invitation. "Let's go back down to breakfast before the boys send a search party."

The young woman bit her lip hesitantly before taking his hand, and he led her out of the room and down the stairs, still holding her hand, just because he could. She hadn't let go and he wasn't about to suggest it. It felt nice: her hand was warm, soft and small in his, and he imagined this would be what it felt like to be holding hands with a girlfriend. Not that he'd know, but that's what he had always imagined.

* * *

Hermione was so happy everything was all-right between her and Remus that she hadn't thought of letting go of his hand, not until they stepped into the kitchen, both wearing silly grins, although for different reasons. They froze in the doorway at the sight of so many people now sitting at the kitchen's table and the gloomy atmosphere that had settled upon the room. Everyone turned to greet the newcomers but eyed them suspiciously instead. Their eyes landing first on the two persons faces, then to their linked hands and back to their faces with expressions varying from shock from most of the Weasleys, to amusement from Harry, and to anger in Severus and Tonks' case. The others just looked curious, probably craving some juicy piece of fresh gossip, as subtle as vampires drooling over a maiden's bosom in her opinion. Hermione precipitately stepped away from Remus, swiftly slipping her hand out of his, knowing everybody was getting the wrong idea.

She headed as far away as possible from a fuming Tonks, not wanting to get into another shouting match with her so early in the day, thus finding herself leaning against the far wall next to Severus. She greeted him, not expecting an answer because she had noticed he was not a morning person, and was proved correct when he ignored her. She then waited for the surprise meeting of the Order of the Phoenix to begin, avoiding the curious gazes lingering on her.

"Now, since everyone is here," Dumbedore started, looking pointedly at Remus and then at Hermione, "Severus can share the news he gathered from his last meeting with Voldemort."

The spy stepped forward, wincing as he heard his old master's dreaded name, but looking as forbidding as ever as he addressed the core members of the Order of the Phoenix.

"The good news is that the Dark Lord believed Miss Granger's Patronus is an unknown and rare creature of the light, somewhat like Fawkes, so he has made no plans to target anyone in particular, although he will undoubtedly question any of you stupid enough to fall into his hands. The bad news is he has planned an attack against the muggle population. He ordered for a large number of prisoners to be captured alive to be fed to the various creatures who pledged their services to him. Not only the dementors, but werewolves and vampires too, then turning the remains that are not too damaged into inferi. He has been growing his ranks more rapidly of late, it is not a good sign, he may be planning a large-scale attack against the ministry or Hogwarts, those being the only two strongholds he wants to gain control over, although he has not shared his future plans with me or any other that I know of."

"What about the muggles?" Harry asked. "Do you know where they'll attack? Maybe we could stop them."

"If I knew, I would have said so, Potter." the dour wizard spat, glaring at the young man. Unfortunately for him, Harry was completely unfazed by his show of loathing now.

"Okay, sir. Never hurts to ask."

"I wish." Severus muttered under his breath. "I'll send a message as soon as I can, if I can, but don't expect a miracle." he said more clearly to the assembled Order.  
"Thank you, Severus." Dumbledore concluded, waiting for the dark-clad man to regain his place before continuing the meeting. "As you have all seen, Remus has completely recovered thanks to Miss Granger. Her success with this new spell might give us the edge we needed in fighting the dark creatures Voldemort has been gathering at his side."

Severus glared at the headmaster as he continued to use the Dark Lord's name so casually, the Dark Mark burning on his arm every time he used it, as the old man very well knew. Hermione was glaring at Dumbledore for very different reasons: he had something up his sleeve and he was going to use her once more without even consulting her first. She just knew it, but could only stand there, waiting for the impending doom to crash on her.

"It is in our best interests that as many of us master this spell as possible. Of course, it came naturally to Miss Granger and it might be difficult or even impossible to master, but I will ask for volunteers amongst you nonetheless. That is, if Miss Granger accepts to be your teacher?"

Hermione gritted her teeth. So the old scoundrel wanted her to provide him with more weapons then? She could hardly say no, not now that he had presented it as an accomplished fact in front of all the others, and not without sounding both childish and selfish. It couldn't hurt after all, it could even save their own lives or others if they did master it. So she nodded determinedly at the headmaster.

"Brilliant!" he exclaimed, clapping his bony hands. "So, who volunteers?"

Harry, unsurprisingly, was the first to step forth.

"Me, sir! I've been wondering for some time if it could work against Voldemort, he's more of a dark creature than a human being now. You know, this may be the_ power the D__ark Lord knows not... " _he said in a mocking ominous voice, waving his fingers before him.

"Harry! That's brilliant! I wish I had thought of that!" Hermione exclaimed excitedly, although a bit miffed her friend had bested her.

"Yes, yes, my boy." Dumbledore chipped in, stroking his long beard thoughtfully. "It's always worth a try."

Hermione felt he didn't sound convinced and wondered why. Did he doubt Harry could master the spell, or did he have reasons to think the _Patronus Totalus_ wouldn't work on the dark wizard? And if he did, why wasn't he sharing those ideas with him? Sometimes, she wished she could perform Legilimency on the frustrating man: Dumbledore no doubt had so many secrets to hide, she was bound to see a few of them leaking around his occlumency shield.

"If Harry's in, so am I." Ron declared, raising his hand.

"I'm a bit useless now, I'm afraid, so I may as well join the ranks. Especially since I know a lot about the spell already, maybe I could assist Hermione in teaching it." Remus announced, taking a step forward, and glancing at her for confirmation.

Hermione beamed at him, relieved that he was offering his help. She had never taught anyone before, let alone a group of people, but he, on the other hand, was an experienced teacher.

"I want to give it a try too." Tonks volunteered in a cheery voice and Hermione sighed inwardly.

Looking over at Remus' side, she found Tonks making moon-eyes at him and she sneered at the sight, drawing an amused smile from her snarky neighbour, the master of sneers. Kingsley Shaklebolt volunteered too, stating how useful it would be in their job as Aurors, but nobody else signed up, not that she was surprised. Wizards weren't famed for their open-mindedness and desire to try anything new or foreign.

"A small group it is then, very well." Dumbledore concluded with false joviality, the lack of twinkle in his eyes clearly showing he was disappointed by their lack of enthusiasm.

Dumbledore droned on, handing out a few more missions to other Order members but she tuned him out, trying to plan how she could teach the _Patronus Totalus_. Harry and Remus were very gifted in Defence Against the Dark Arts and should not have too much trouble learning such a spell; and Shaklebolt was a very talented auror from what she'd been told. However, Ron was a bit thick to be honest, he often had difficulties learning the more complex spells, and Tonks... she was hardly going to want to listen to her since they were not on the best of terms and she would probably be too focused on Remus and his younger, handsomer appearance to even try properly. In fact, Hermione wouldn't be surprised if the clumsy Auror managed to blow up part of Grimmauld Place at least once because her crush on Remus would claim all her attention

Hermione sighed in defeat: overall, she wasn't sure any of her pupils had the right state of mind to learn the spell. It required an all-encompassing love for life, benevolence for all living beings including nature and a good deal of altruism. She needed more ordinary people like herself, not over-trained fighters like the others all were: aurors and an ex-werewolf who would probably have become an auror too if he had had the possibility. Hermione quickly browsed all the people she knew, picking out a few people she thought had better chances of succeeding. Should she invite them? They were already Order members, but not as deeply involved as the others assembled here today. It would simultaneously bring them into more danger as they would then be asked to take an active part in the war, and give them more protection against the dark creatures that lurked in greater number all over wizarding Britain. Hermione knew no one was safe anywhere today, which was why she was cooped up at headquarters most of the time. Would she regret it if one of the people she wanted to invite got mortally attacked by a dementor or a werewolf, when they could have been saved by the _Patronus Totalus_? Yes, definitely.

Hermione waited for Dumbledore to finish handing out assignments to submit her idea. Everyone listened politely and her suggestion seemed to be well accepted, but they knew that their leader would have the final decision.

"It seems logical, Miss Granger. Who were you thinking of then?" he demanded curiously.

Hermione hesitated, which one of her candidates would be better accepted by the group?

"Neville Longbottom." she announced and heard Severus snort derisively beside her. "He has kind and caring, and has a strong attachment to nature. He has come to headquarters before too, and knows most of us, so it is not too much of a risk we're taking here."

Dumbledore nodded and motioned for her to continue. She bit her lip nervously, knowing the next one would not be so easily accepted.

"Luna Lovegood." As expected, a few protests arose.

"But she's loony."

"Completely mental."

"How can she be trusted?"

"I thought she was locked up in St Mungos?"

Until she had had enough of their nonsense.

"Luna is very brave and I'd trust her with my life. Might I remind you she was a member of the DA and fought at the Battle of the Department of Mysteries? The only reason she has not been more involved is because she's been running The Quibbler alone after her father's murder. And I think she'd be perfect for the _Patronus Totalus_, because unlike _some_ people, Luna is very open-minded."

This, at least, avoided any further disparaging comments concerning her friend.

"Very well, Miss Granger, I see your point. I'll arrange for Miss Lovegood to gain access to headquarters. Anyone else?" Dumbledore wondered, seeing the younger witch shifting nervously on her feet.

"Well..." she started, looking uncomfortably in Harry's direction." I was thinking maybe Ginny..."

But she couldn't finish her sentence as both the Weasleys and Harry shot up, protesting vehemently: her family because they didn't want their only sister or daughter to be a soldier in this war, and Harry because he still refused Ginny comes too close to him as long as Voldemort was out to get him.

Dumbledore interrupted the sudden cacophony by gesturing the angry bunch of Gryffindors to sit back down.

"I'm afraid that with or without your consent, Miss Weasley has already been doing work for the Order. And before you ask, I neither asked her to, or encouraged her in any way."

"Yeah, right. As if I'd believe that manipulative old coot." Hermione thought in disbelief. Her family all seemed a bit stunned at the news, they had all tried to preserve Ginny from the dangers of the war, even now that she had graduated from Hogwarts and started her apprenticeship as a healer at St Mungos.

"What has she been doing?" Harry asked, looking a bit green now that the anger had subsided.

"Miss Weasley has been hiding and healing fugitive muggleborns within the hospital when suspicious people, probably followers of Voldemort, came to collect them. She had only been working there for a few weeks when she noticed some of the staff was selling information about the patients to Death-Eaters. Even Severus didn't know about this."

A shake from the spy confirmed Dumbledore's words.

"Miss Weasley came to me asking for help and said she would continue with or without it."

"Can't say I'm surprised." Harry sighed.

"I take it you wanted her for her healing tendencies, Miss Granger?"

"Yes. That, and she has a wicked streak for learning the most complex spells right off the bat." Hermione answered fondly, remembering her famous Bat-Bogey hex she had mastered as a mere girl.

"It would serve to protect her if need arises." Dumbledore said offhandedly to the Weasleys.

Molly was still wiping away her tears at the thought of the danger her little girl was exposing herself to and Arthur looked grave, knowing what happened to witches who opposed the dark wizard. The Weasley whispered amongst them before finally approving Ginny's involvement in Hermione's group. Harry looked torn between being relieved and anxious. He had not seen Ginny in over a year, had forbidden the Weasley to talk to her about him and sent all her owls away. But now that they would be forced together in the same room in a near future, he was probably worried with good reasons: Ginny was going to slaughter him before Voldemort ever got a chance to.

"Good, good." the old wizard said, rubbing his hands in a passable imitation of a villain. "Miss Weasley also knows of the headquarters' location. Anyone else, Miss Granger?"

"No, sir. I think we are good to start. I'll arrange for a schedule with everyone." she answered.

The headmaster dismissed the Order, but many stayed behind to talk about Severus' report and Hermione's new pupils. Thankfully, they had all forgotten about her remarkable appearance hand in hand with Remus a little earlier.

Except Severus.

He steered her out the kitchen door and towards the very small back garden. It looked as bleak as the rest of the house, with its strange black plants and dark flowers, some of them even tried to nip at them as their robes brushed against them. Hermione shivered, realising she was still wearing her pyjamas, and she did her best to hide her naked feet from the Potion's Master to avoid the vicious rebuff it would no doubt earn her. The two of them were getting closer, maybe they could even become friends someday, but the man was and would always remain a grumpy wizard with an acidic tongue.

"So... Severus. Was there something you wanted to talk about?" she asked guardedly.

"Obviously." he said with a smirk, but it soon faded as he got to the point. "What's going on between you and Remus?"

"Nothing." she answered, maybe a bit too vehemently, but it was true.

"Hermione." he said with an exasperated undertone as if he was talking to a simpleton. "I know you've been cooped up in here like some princess from a muggle fairy-tale, but surely you're not so naive as to believe a man would hold your hand without ulterior motives?"

"W-what?" she sputtered. "No! Remus was just being nice, I was upset this morning. And besides Harry and I hold hands all the time, it doesn't mean anything."

"Potter's not a man." he sneered, but she giggled at the absurdity of his reasoning and he smiled along.

"Listen, maybe it's a Slytherin thing, but I'm sure Remus was not... hitting on me, or whatever you're implying."

She blushed, feeling a bit uncomfortable now. This was the kind of conversation she had dreaded receiving from her father, but even those awkward moments had taken away from her by Voldemort.

"Just be wary, Hermione. He may no longer be a werewolf, thank Merlin, but he is still a man and I don't trust him not to take advantage of you after all you've done for him."

"And here I thought the two of you were finally getting along." she pouted dramatically.

"Flobberworms have a better chance at world domination." Severus replied mockingly.

"With Hagrid's help, I wouldn't rule that out as a possibility." she laughed right back.

The two of them continued teasing one another, Severus for her Gryffindor naivete and Hermione for his Slytherin paranoia, until she had to make an excuse to escape to her room and finally get dressed for the day, smiling at the amusing, but utterly cockeyed idea that Remus could fancy her in any way.


	7. Chapter 7: Lessons and Limits

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everything from his realm belongs to its creator, J.K. ROWLING. I make absolutely no money with it. Like you didn't know that already.**

**A/N: I love your reviews so much, my favourite part is checking my emails in the morning after posting a new chapter... so many of them, and so kind! I also thank my super-beta, Fredrika, who manages to put up with me somehow and always gives great advice.**

**Also, I am sick so the next chapter may take a while longer to come, but I'll do my best!**

Chapter 7: Lessons and Limits

Hermione was waiting anxiously in the library with Remus for the others to arrive. Everyone had managed to free their Wednesday evenings, as well as their Saturdays afternoons. Hermione thought twice a week would be enough of a training for the _Patronus Totalus_ as it was quite a draining spell and, except for the two of them present, the others needed their magic about them for their everyday job.

Sitting restlessly on the sofa, she fidgeted nervously with the hem of her robes, Remus sighed and reached out to still her hands.

"Everything is going to be fine, Hermione. Stop worrying for nothing." he chided kindly.

She nodded absently, captivated as she was by the wizard's larger hand covering her own, and Severus words rang in her ears. She knew for certain then that the Slytherin was wrong, she could feel nothing but kindness and caring from Remus. Severus was just being a worry wart, he was being so protective of late towards her. The young witch tensed suddenly, drawing an interrogative look from her neighbour. She shook her head, plastering a fake smile on her face so he wouldn't question her further. Gathering her wits, she continued to explore that line of thought: since when had Severus become more than her ex-Professor, more even than a fellow Order member? She knew there was nothing romantic about his protectiveness either and just associating the snarky man with the very notion of romanticism was laughable.

Recalling the last weeks when he had given her quite support or defended her outright, and the awkward talk they had had the other day about men, he had felt more like... not a father, he wasn't near as old as her father had been for her to imagine him as such... but maybe like a big brother. An overly serious and scary big brother with a very dark sense of humour. She smiled fondly, she had always wished she had had other siblings and it seemed Severus and her had just unconsciously adopted each other. A bit like Harry actually, who was like another, smaller and slightly reckless brother. She realized they all had in common that they were orphans with no other living family to turn to, they were all lonely and very involved in the war: her because she was a muggleborn prime-target, Severus because he was a spy and Harry because he was doomed to fight Voldemort to the death. Really, it was not surprising the two men had become her new family. Now, if only Harry and Severus could come to see each other as brothers too, it'd be perfect, but she knew she had a better chance seeing Ron dance a passionate tango with an Acromantula.

Just then, her first pupil arrived and brought her out of her reverie.

"Luna! I'm so happy to see you!" she almost squealed in a manner reminiscent of Lavender Brown.

"Hermione, Professor Lupin." she greeted calmly. "Interesting place you have here, I'm sure it's infested with umgubular slashkilters."

Hermione and Remus exchanged a bewildered look.

"Hum... You're welcome to investigate the house whenever you want Luna." the wizard offered politely.

Just then, the aurors and auror-trainees arrived. Harry, visibly nervous, glanced around the room and skittered off alone to a dark corner while Ron threw himself on one of the armchairs, grumbling about needing some food to function correctly. Shaklebolt saluted them warmly, his dazzlingly bright smile in stark contrast with his ebony skin. Finally, Tonks, the new bane of her existence, almost slobbered all over Remus as she said hello to him, totally ignoring Hermione in the process. Shaklebolt watched her colleague making a fool of herself, narrowing his eyes at her lack of respect for Hermione.

Neville knocked uncertainly at the library's open door and the Gryffindor witch seized the opportunity to get as far away as possible from the annoying pink-haired woman now clinging to Remus arm. The poor wizard looked uncomfortable, but short of using a crowbar, there was nothing she could do for him.

"Neville, I'm _so _glad you accepted to come. How have you been?"

"Okay, I guess. I'm always happy for an excuse to escape my gran." he replied with an apologetic smile. "I hope I'm not late."

"Not at all, we're still waiting for..." but her answer was cut off by the loud slam of the front door closing shut, a determined set of heeled feet headed fast towards them and finally, Ginny appeared in all her vengeful glory, her red hair and pale-blue healer's apprentice robes swirling around her as she came to a halt in the doorway.

Hermione glanced at Harry, who was trying to shrink into the shadows in the corner and looked white as a sheet. She was torn between pitying him and thinking he did actually deserve it for shutting the young woman out as he had done.

"One year!" she seethed, loudly enough for all to hear, advancing on her cowering target once she spotted him. "It's been over a year Mr Harry James Potter! You dared ignore me for so long after telling me you loved me? For my own sake? What kind of a bloody coward are you?" The irate witch had been poking Harry in the chest with each point she made and she was now waiting, hands on her hips, for Harry to make amends.

"Gin, please, you've got to understand. I just didn't want you to be targeted because of me. It's better if no one knows about us." he pleaded.

"Us? Well, I don't see a problem there as there is no 'us' to speak of now. Thanks to your inane half-baked plans."

Harry looked too shocked for words and Hermione decided to intervene before Ginny hexed him beyond repair.

"Everyone!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands once for attention. "Thank you all for coming. If you want to make yourselves comfortable, I'll start explaining the theory before I give you a demonstration, for those of you that haven't seen the _Patronus Totalus _already.

The young witch attempted to explained the complex spell and Remus helped her out a few times, seeing she was a bit nervous and getting lost in the details of her own description. Then, when no one had any more questions to ask, he made everyone back off to form a semicircle around her.

Taking a deep breath, she tried relaxing. She avoided Tonks who was smirking at her, no doubt thinking she would fail, letting her eyes settle on Harry and Remus. The sight of the two men, both smiling encouragingly at her, immediately made her feel happier, warmth and an odd flutter to her stomach making the tension in her body ebb away. Just a minute later, she was floating before them in her Patronus form, the glow she emitted reflected in their attentive and awe-struck eyes.

"Oh, Waoh! Hermione that's wicked!" Ron blurted out, always first when it came to making a vacuous comment, but she smiled at him at him nonetheless, riveting her transparent eyes onto him until he was too unsettled and glanced away.

"You do look rather ghostly." Luna mused in her sing-song voice. "Have you tried flying through walls yet?"

Hermione gaped at her, and it was as unattractive in her patronus form as in her human one.

"No." she answered, shocked that she hadn't even thought of it. Could she glide through walls? Through wards? Through people? Did it harm normal humans? Really, she had to try out the limits of the patronus form as soon as possible, it could come in handy. "No, I haven't actually. Thanks Luna for pointing it out, Luna, I'll try it out soon."

The dreamy-eyed witch nodded, a soft smile playing on her lips.

'It's really impressive, Hermione. I always knew you'd get your name in a book someday." Neville told her sincerely making the floating woman grin. "I hope I'll be able to do that spell"

"I don't think I can ever get tired of watching you like this." Shaklebolt added. "You're quite the sight."

"Unfortunately, it is quite draining." she said regaining her physical body. "But you can always stare at yourself all day in a mirror once you master the spell, auror Shaklebolt." she chuckled and the wizard laughed good-humouredly, calling her a cheek.

"Alright then. If you can all stand at a reasonable distance from one another in case one of you manages to transform, I don't won't you touching one another, I'm not sure what the result would be." Hermione advised.

"That's bloody careless." she heard Tonks mutter, not nearly low enough, but she decided to ignore the auror as she was only trying to make her look bad in front of Remus. Besides, even if it killed her to admit it, Tonks was right, she should have thought about it before now. There was so much she didn't know about the _Patronus Totalus. _Unfortunately, Dumbledore had just thrown the matter of training others into her unaware hands and she was just taking it in stride as best she could.

Helping others relax or focus, correcting their wand movement or incantation as she made paced slowly around the room, Hermione thought she might enjoy teaching. Maybe when the war was over, she could apply at Hogwarts.

She toyed with the idea while her pupils strived to master the difficult spell: Ron had even started pouting and giving up halfway through, Ginny was still too angry to find a state of bliss, and Tonks was predictably making moon-eyes at Remus again. Overall, she wasn't surprised when nobody had managed by the end of the session, although Luna's wand had started a slow patronus transformation before the Ravenclaw had lost focused, too fascinated that she was by the ethereal light that made her wand translucent.

When the bedraggled group left for their own homes, and Harry had bolted out of the library to hide somewhere in the huge house, Hermione lay back in a heap in the sofa, soon imitated by a weary Remus. She smiled, having never seen the man look so casually laid back before.

"You must be a terribly powerful witch, Hermione. I'm knackered just from trying the spell, I can't imagine the power you needed to transform and fight off a hundred dementors." he told her offhandedly but she blushed at the praise, trying to hide her pink cheeks behind her mass of curls.

"Maybe it's more taxing when you haven't mastered it yet. Who knows? There is a lot we have to learn about this spell."

"Like flying through walls?' he chuckled, recalling Luna's question.

"Not just that!" she replied animatedly, the thirst of knowledge dancing in her big chocolate eyes. "What if I could breach wards? Can you imagine how useful that could be? And I have no idea how it reacts to contact with a human. It was disastrous enough with a werewolf."

Perceiving the lingering note of guilt in her voice, Remus patted her hand to reassure her he would never hold it against her.

"Well, we can always experiment together if you want. I don't think we have anything better to do tomorrow anyway." he suggested, "And I want to practice the _Patronus Totalus_ some more. If Harry gets it before me, I'll never hear the end of it."

After sharing a cup of tea and a quiet evening reading in companionable silence in the library, they made plans to meet the next morning, both eager to try out the patronus' limits.

* * *

Hermione was waiting for her partner in the library to begin experimenting the _Patronus Totalus_. She was very puzzled as to where he might be since he had not been at breakfast with all the other residents, she had knocked shyly at his bedroom door but his room was empty too, as was the bathroom. She had even checked the attic where he used to dwell as a werewolf, but to no avail, all she knew was that he had not left the house because his cloak was still hanging near the front door. She finally admitted defeat and waited for the mysteriously absent wizard in her usual spot on the sofa, making a list of everything she would like to try out. She might as well be organized about it, she convinced herself, but was actually hoping Remus wouldn't make fun of her habit of making lists for everything.

The sound of shuffling just outside the door had her heart beating faster, hoping it was Remus. She knew she was being silly but she was worried about his disappearance act. So she was relieved to see it was in fact her friend, looking sheepish and a bit dishevelled. He sat down next to her, and set the small wooden box he had been holding onto the coffee table. She couldn't suppress a smile as she realized he was covered in dust.

"Mother of trolls! Where have you been?" she exclaimed, tapping his shoulders lightly to get rid of some of the grime, but only causing a cloud of dust to fly out and spread around them. "Rolling under the furniture with the dust-fairies?"

"Ah, but don't you mean the umgubular slashkilters?" he laughed, referring to Luna's mythical beast.

"Is that what they are then?" she asked, grinning.

"We can only hope. I'd hate to find out it's something that spits in my coffee or does unspeakable things with my socks."

Hermione tried to fight back the instant sniggers brought by the umgubular slashkilters' improper behaviour towards Remus' footwear, but the internal struggle was short-lived and laughter issued, mixing with Remus' own, quite audible, hilarity. When they finally got over their fit of giggles, each one setting the other off at turns, Hermione pointed at the box.

"Is that the reason you disappeared all morning then?"

"Correct, as always, my dear Hermione." he teased, but only managed to make her stomach flutter at the use of the endearment. "It's something I would like you to try out today. I had to search the whole house for it but you guys did a thorough job of getting rid of all the dark artefacts from the house when you moved in, and t took me more time than I care to admit to find this."

He opened the little wooden box, revealing a small silver spoon. It looked very ordinary except for the Black crest on the handle.

"A spoon." she stated blandly, prodding for more explanations.

"A family heirloom of sorts. I remember Sirius mentioning it once. It would be used when the Blacks had a guest who was crass enough to lick his tea spoon, his tongue would wither and fall. Very nasty, I'm not even sure it can be healed."

"Merlin! The purebloods don't half take table manner seriously." she breathed out, shrinking away from the small piece of metal. "Maybe we should use it on Ron." she added mischievously, before adding _Cursed objects _to her list of experiments.

"What's that?" Remus wondered, eyeing her parchment upside down.

"A list." she mumbled, not looking him in the eyes. "Of what we should try today."

"Good idea." he replied, and she beamed at his sincerity, but was positively glowing when he handed her a scrap of parchment with his own ideas jotted down so they could mesh the two lists together.

They decided to start with her ability, or lack thereof, of going through walls: it was the easiest and less dangerous experiment. Knowing beforehand that regular patronus went through walls spurred her on too and after a few reassuring words from Remus, she drifted to the wall that should lead to the entrance hall. She took a deep unnecessary breath, closed her eyes, and flew across to the other side of the wall, immediately popping her head back in to share her success with her friend. Just for the sake of being thorough, she tried varied walls, ceilings, doors and even the windows that had view on the small hidden garden, lest one of their muggle neighbours see her, until Remus begged her off, alleging she was making him dizzy.

"Do you feel up to something else?" Remus asked.

Hermione took a minute to consider it: she was starting to feel weary, in an insubstantial sort of way, but thought she could hold her patronus for a little while longer and told him as much. Remus went to the library door, closed it, and waved his want to ward it. The witch grinned in understanding, gliding toward the entrance.

The more she moved towards the door, the more resistance she felt, as if an invisible force was pushing her back, but she inched forward, little by little, until she reached the door and stuck her hand through it. She rapidly withdrew, as if burned and the next moment, she was panting on the floor in her human form. Remus was down beside her in the blink of an eye, checking her over for potential injuries, especially her hand that he kept cradled in his own as he addressed her.

"What happened? I thought you hurt yourself."

"Sorry." she mumbled, exhausted. "It felt like I was losing my grip on the patronus and had to retreat quickly. I didn't mean to worry you. What did you ward the door with? It drained me faster than a hoard of dementors."

"Hum..." he started, visibly embarrassed and unwilling to share the information. " I didn't think it would _actually_ work, I just thought we'd start off easy..."

"What did you use, Remus." she insisted, paling at the unwelcome news.

"A repelling charm." he told her reluctantly.

"A repelling charm... A repelling charm?" she repeated, unable to believe it. "You mean to tell me a simple charm taught to kids at Hogwarts is all it takes to vanquish our secret weapon?"

Hermione just couldn't believe the Kryptonite to her super-power was something so meaningless, so ridiculous, so easy. "We're doomed." she said.

"No, we're not, Hermione. The death-eaters... they'll never find out. In fact, I think we're lucky we found out about it ourselves so soon, just in case. But you know as well as I that Voldemort's forces don't use repelling charms, they have a clear preference for bloody and dark spells, not to mention the unforgivables."

The depressed witch mulled this over, he was right of course, no self-respecting death-eater would use such a light spell.

"Maybe we should try their spells on the patronus form though, we have to know if anything happens."

Remus squeezed of her hand almost painfully so and looked sternly at her.

"I am _not_ casting unforgivables at you." he responded with an edge of finality.

"Well, maybe not the killing curse." she conceded "But an imperio or crucio can't hurt too much, as well as the cutting, exploding, disarming and binding spells they use the most."

Remus blanched at the thought of using such spells on Hermione. He wouldn't be able to bring himself to hurt her that way.

"Let's try the spells that can't harm you first." he eluded. There was no point arguing with the stubborn witch, once she had decided something, nothing could stop her. He'd just have to try keeping her too busy to think of using such extremes again. He sighed, it was going to be a full time job.

Remus regained his footing and helped Hermione up.

"But first, you need to rest." he told her, and when she was about to protest, he added: "No, we can't risk magical depletion, you're our only _patronus totalus_ for now."

The young woman didn't object again, as he knew she wouldn't: Hermione couldn't resist a logical argument when it was presented to her. That left him until tomorrow to think of enough strategies to keep the overachieving witch from asking him to crucio her again. When had his life started getting so strange? Whatever happened to the dull werewolf days?


	8. Chapter 8: WARTS

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everything from his realm belongs to its creator, J.K. ROWLING. I make absolutely no money with it. Like you didn't know that already.**

**A/N: Thanks to my dear beta, Fredrika: she does a great job correcting my chapters, and even adding her two pennyworth to them! She does her fair bit of cheer-leading too, I wouldn't be writing half as much without her.**

**I love reading your reviews, it seems no one is guessing where all of this is going, which makes me happy :D**

Chapter 8: WARTS

Hermione and Remus had worked every morning on the _Patronus Totalus:_ the wizard throwing various charms and mild hexes at the witch in her ethereal form, most of them just shooting straight through her without so much as a tingle. Then, Remus had to argue every afternoon for her to rest and not try some of the more aggressive and potentially harmful hexes or curses until they had exhausted the more common ones. Throwing the simple repelling charm argument in her face was not something he was proud of, but it did calm her insistent nagging.

Instead, he convinced her to help him master his own patronus form, not that it had yielded any results as of yet. She usually monitored his meditation, answering the odd question he had, while doing incomprehensible arithmancy calculations for Dumbledore. Remus wasn't even frustrated about not making any progress, because he enjoyed too much spending all day long in the witch's company. He didn't feel _too_ guilty about hogging all of her time, but he _was _starting to question the feelings he harboured towards her, and that did make him feel uneasy. She was so very young, and even if he did look younger than ever himself, he still couldn't acknowledge any romantic inclination towards her without feeling like a lecherous old man. So he pushed all of these disturbing thoughts to the back of his mind, hoping they would just vanish.

Saturday came all too quickly, and with it the rest of Hermione's pupils, including the most annoying and clingy Tonks. The auror was about six years older than Hermione but acted like a scatterbrained child making a tantrum. Remus could have looked over her clumsiness, she clearly did her best most of the times not to trip or knock anything over, although her lack of success was appalling. He could even have overlooked her outlandish appearance: for a metamorphmagus who could change appearance at will, she sure had a strange taste in hair-colour. But Tonks had the worst personality he had ever had the displeasure to meet, and it was only made worse by the fact she had redoubled her efforts after learning he was no longer a werewolf.

Talking of the devil... Tonks was just proving her point by strutting into the library, completely ignoring Hermione who was standing right next to her, while she greeted him with a too-sweet smile and tried snagging his arm like a devil's snare. Luckily, he had been watching out this time and managed to avoid her bold manoeuvre by casually ruffling his hair, causing the aggravating witch to lose her balance and fall forwards. Truly, this was getting ridiculous, he would have to talk to Tonks before she tried using love potions on him.

Once everybody had arrived, and Tonks was back to standing on two feet, they began with their meditative introspection, searching for that blissful state of mind that would trigger the _Patronus Totalus._ They had only been at it for ten minutes when Remus was startled by a feminine yelp that turned out to be Neville.

"You almost got it, Neville." Luna told him softly and Hermione nodded in agreement. "You needn't be afraid of change."

The young wizard blushed, flustered beyond help by all the attention. That was probably all the progress he would manage for the day. Remus had to be impressed by Hermione's personal choice of pupils, so far two of them had succeeded to partially transform, even if it was just the tip of their wand. Maybe the others would never accomplish as much. What did they have in common, Luna and Neville, to have managed as much? Remus peered over at the pair of them, sitting next to each other, although at a safe distance, in case of transformation.

Both were solitary, reserved kind of people, although perhaps not by choice. Neville was smothered by his grand-mother's over-protectiveness and Luna was too loony for most people to seek out her company. But shouldn't they feel more anger than love in that case? Ginny, Hermione's other chosen one, was certainly too enraged with Harry to get anywhere with the spell.

Was he failing the _Patronus Totalus_ because he was too angry? Well, he was certainly irritated now, with the insufferable Tonks sitting too close to him and staring with a lewd expression at him instead of trying to master her patronus form. But he hadn't been angry when he had tried these last afternoons with Hermione nearby. Distracted would better describe his state of mind then, or maybe even elated, but not angry.

Remus sighed. Maybe it was something else then, something they would probably never discover, like being born when Mars was aligned with Venus, or drinking tea instead of coffee every morning. Chances were they would discover it by mistake, like the fact that the _Patronus Totalus_ could be countered by a repelling charm.

Dumbledore suddenly appeared in a burst of flames and wind, a shrill musical cry resounding in the room. For such an extreme measure as to use his phoenix to apparate in headquarters, this was most assuredly a dire emergency.

"Death-Eaters in Diagon Alley. I need everyone to head there immediately." he announced gravely. From his state of disarray, Remus inferred he had been there and had come back for reinforcement. The old wizard turned to Hermione: "Has anyone else mastered your Patronus?"

"Not yet, sir." she answered promptly, all business.

"There are dementors there, prying on the civilians, too many for the rest of us."

"I'll take care of it." she assured him and was already off to put her cloak and shoes on. The others followed suit, Harry wearing a fierce scowl, but Dumbledore stopped him, a bony hand resting on his shoulder.

"Remus, I want you to protect Miss Granger if she drains her magic again, we can't let her fall prey to the Death-Eaters." he demanded.

Remus was a bit taken aback.

"Do they know it's her?" he asked, suddenly alarmed.

"No, but the dementors... they're not attacking as a group as they usually do. They're teamed up with Death-Eaters. I think they're trying to capture her, regardless of her identity."

"Then you're sending her into a trap?"

"I have no choice." He told him with finality, not open to discussion, and the next moment he had grabbed Fawkes' tail feathers and disappeared as flamboyantly as he had appeared.

With no alternative left, Remus rushed to the front door in an effort to catch up with Hermione and was just in time to wrap her in both his arms just outside the door, and side-along apparate the both of them to a dark ensconced porch he often used when he needed a discreet entrance into the wizarding shopping district.

"What the hell was that about?" Hermione asked, shaky on her legs and certainly feeling a bit sick from the unexpected side-along trip.

Remus hesitated. Should he tell her what Dumbledore had told him? Would that help her in the coming fight or prevent her from transforming altogether? The wizard finally decided he had no right to decide what she should know or not when it so evidently concerned her, and nor had Dumbledore.

"The Death-Eaters are out to capture you, or rather your patronus form. They're teamed up with dementors so they'll probably be scattered all over the place."

"Dumbledore told you this?" she asked but it felt more like she was stating a fact than asking a question, so he only nodded confirmation.

"Manipulating old fart." she muttered and then turned to him with a determined glint in the eye. "Thanks for telling me, Remus."

The witch's expression abruptly shifted from belligerent to worried, before she lay her hands on his chest and pushed him hard enough for him to stagger just out of the porch. He didn't have time to wonder about her odd behaviour as he now felt in his bones and soul what had probably alerted Hermione: a deathly cold and an overwhelming despair. Dementors were close by, looking for pray. Remus glanced back at Hermione who was already in full patronus form and gliding out of their not-so-dark-now hiding spot. Well, at least he knew anger was not major factor that prevented the transformation.

"Hermione, if you need help leaving, come to me. I'll try looking out for you out there, but I can't possibly follow you." She nodded gravely and flew off at an impressive speed. "Be careful." he breathed out to the spot she had just vacated and, gripping his wand tightly, he ran towards the sound of screaming.

* * *

Hermione was simultaneously shrouded in the delightful bliss that came with her transformation into patronus, and on the lookout for any of the Death-Eaters traps. Having her mind at peace and her wits sharp at the same time made for a very efficient combination: even if Remus had not warned her about the dark wizards plans to capture her, hey were so unsubtle that she would have guessed something was up. Several groups moved around Diagon Alley, each comprised of two hooded wizards in black and four shrouded dementors. They didn't move about the streets to destroy and kill, but to terrorize and gather attention. The resulting screams of horror and pains echoed from all directions and would have made her hair stand on end in her human form.

The witch sped to her nearest targets, which were using a crucio on a young man, and glided just out of reach of the Death-Eaters, as fast as a snitch, before reducing their dementor bodyguards to nothingness. Unfortunately, she would have to leave the foul wizards to the other members of the Order.

Before she could glide away to the next group of dementors, she saw spells soar right through her and whatever they were, they had no effect on her. She glared at them and was about to make a swift exit when the back tattoo of a dark mark on a pale arm caught her attention. The wizard to who it belonged was applying his wand to it. Blimey! They were calling Voldemort to capture her.

She was torn between the urge to flee so Voldemort wouldn't recognize who she was and punish Severus for his deception, and the need to fulfil her duty to get rid of the dementors. She finally settled on the latter, thinking she could out-fly the dark wizard as she annihilated the dementors, then discretely change back to her human appearance. But she had to act quickly, already, the air was getting thick and tasted of rotten eggs, the dark wizard would apparate any second now. She soared away at such speed the buildings appeared blurry and not once did she dare look behind her.

The numerous dementors were far apart and hidden by the lopsided architecture that hid the streets from high up, so Hermione was forced to whisk close to the cobbled roads, avoiding the moving fighters and prone victims and diving at the shrouded dark creatures that hovered around. She couldn't move as fast as she had wished and soon Voldemort was hot on her heels, trying to seize her himself as he threw spell after spell at her.

She had little doubt Voldemort would not be using a repelling charm, but she did fear maybe another, more dangerous curse may work, so she avoided his attacks as best she could, searching for dementors to destroy at the same time. She felt like a Quidditch player avoiding bludgers: a preposterous notion if she shared it with anyone, but it did give her an idea. According to Harry and Ron, two Quidditch fans that she sometimes had to listen raving about their favourite game, if only to be polite, there is a move called the Montrose Feint where players duck bludgers at the last minute so one of their adversaries gets hit instead. If only she could get Voldemort to hit his men by accident, maybe he'd stop trying to hex her, or maybe not, but at least there would be that many less dark wizards around.

Seeing her chance to carry out this improvised strategy standing near the entrance of an alleyway, half hidden in shadows but still recognizable as a Death-Eater by the silver glint at face-level, she manoeuvred to hide her target from her assailant's view and dashed right at him. Hermione noticed the Death-Eater freeze, unsure of how to defend himself from the glowing creature rushing straight at him, and when she saw a flash of light behind her, she feinted to the left sharply, pleased that the Death-Eater crumpled to the ground. Whatever the curse had been, it must have been pretty vile. The witch continued zooming though the streets, narrowly dodging spells so the enemy would get hit by their own master. The dementors made themselves sparse, whether they had fled or had been dealt with, she couldn't be sure. Voldemort was getting frustrated judging by his enraged invectives behind her, he couldn't even catch up, but she was tiring out herself, she needed to shake him loose or she would be at his mercy in her human form before long.

Harry must have been alerted by the Order members who had witnessed the chase because he was standing in the middle of the narrow street she was gliding in, visibly waiting for his arch-nemesis. Hermione gladly flew to him and hovered behind his back.

"You okay, Mione?" he asked in a whisper.

"Fine, but if you could get rid of him, it'd be great... I don't think I can hold my form much longer."

The dark wizard had slowed down and regained his footing on the cobbled street, cautiously advancing on the young wizard he wanted dead so much, just in case it was a trap. The luminescent witch seized the opportunity to order her tendrils of hair to hide her face and was relieved her unruly hair obeyed her for once. She was completely hidden from view, only one of her eyes peeking through the glowing strands. She must have looked like a ghostly palm tree or willow standing immobile and hidden by her curtain of hair that swayed lightly in the wind.

"Potter." Voldemort spat. "We meet again."

Hermione shivered at the sight of the dark wizard's glowing red eyes, she had never seen him up so close before. Harry was right, there wasn't much human left in him.

"Obviously." Harry answered easily, seemingly unfazed by the monster facing him that radiated power and evil as naturally as the sun emitted heat and light. "You should know by now you'll always find me in our path."

"Too cowardly to fight me alone, Potter?"

Harry shifted slightly to look behind him and Hermione did the same: she was relieved to see Remus rushing to them, he had kept his promise to look out for her. A few Order members were running towards their position from contiguous alleys, and other magical folk she didn't know but could only assume were inhabitants of Diagon Alley were approaching at a more measured pace but with a determined expression as they held their wands tight. Hermione felt a surge of pride and joy at their courage: ordinary people who were taking up their wands against the darkest wizard of their time, against the stuff of nightmares they didn't even dare pronounce the name of. For a moment her patronus form glowed brighter.

"Can't blame me for having friends now, can you?" Harry admonished, as if he was speaking to a particularly stupid child. "A pity I can't say the same for you."

Voldemort took in the crowd before him, threw one last glance at her and disapparated in a black swirl of smoke without another word. The people assembled there looked dumbstruck, unable to grasp the idea that You-Know-Who had fled, that he wasn't as invincible and almighty as they had imagined. A few cheers erupted, curious wizards and witches came to greet the Boy-Who-Lived and take a peek at his glowing protector, while others just left as quietly as they had come, probably off to tend to the wounded, or the dead. Hermione edged closer to Remus when the throng had thinned.

"Remus, I need to leave...I'm not even sure I can return to the porch to transform back."

The wizard looked around for a quiet dark place for Hermione to change back to her human shape, but too many nosy bystanders were still peering at the unusual sight she presented, clearly a creature of the light they had never seen before.

"Wait here a minute." Remus walked up to Harry manhandling his fans away and whispered in his ear. Harry glanced at her, nodded, and handed the older wizard a small bundle.

"Here, hover down a bit." Remus told her as he spread a cloth, holding it up, which fell in neat silky folds. The invisibility cloak! she realized. "I'll hold it up, you'll have to transform inside." he whispered.

"Can you see me?" She asked once she was under the cloak.

"No, go ahead and change." he said quietly, aware that he was drawing attention to himself after having vanished the creature of light hat had been standing next to him just a second before.

Hermione instantly regained her human form, her grip on the patronus had been tenuous at the best since her stunt with Voldemort. Unfortunately, she had not foreseen that she would be too weak to support her own weight once she regained a physical body and she fell forwards. Remus, on the other hand, must have been prepared for the eventuality because his arms broke her fall gently and he lifted her in his arms, careful to keep every part of her hidden. Luckily the cloak was tailored for a full grown man and it was ample enough on her small frame to cover her entirely.

"I'll apparate us to safety." Remus told her, and she knew he meant they were returning to Grimmauld Place. Hermione would have preferred staying by Harry's side, supporting him, or help the inhabitants of Diagon Alley return things to normal, but she could hardly keep her eyes open. In fact, she was going to nap right there in Remus's arms, whether she wanted to or not.

* * *

"Daft witch." she heard Severus' silky voice mutter from one side of her comfy warm bed.

"I couldn't agree more." replied Remus' huskier voice from the other side.

Both comments lacked the bite for their words to be taken seriously and she smiled at their lack of will to disparage her correctly. She knew they were worried, worse than mother hens the both of them.

"Maybe you should explain to the witch in question why she is so daft then?" she said groggily, with a mock-scowl directed at the two men. Remus looked a bit guilty but shuffled closer to check her temperature and pulse, whereas Severus merely smirked at her.

"I wouldn't know where to start." The raven-haired wizard answered.

Hermione smiled: if Severus was in the mood to tease, then there weren't any imminent bad news awaiting her.

"But I can try. There's the time you put my robes on fire, the one where you stole ingredients from my personal reserve, or when you knocked me out in the shrieking shack. And then there's..."

Hermione looked pleadingly at Remus, begging with her eye to make him stop the unbelievably long list of foolish things she had done at Hogwarts to her Potion's Professor. But her fellow Gryffindor, after a first wide-eyed look of disbelief, was now too busy holding back his laughter.

"...and I think I should add the mishap at graduation, I'm pretty certain Potter couldn't have pulled that prank by himself."

"Severus?" the witch asked warily. "Could we please skip ahead to the present?"

"Certainly." he obliged curtly. "It was the most imbecilic, moronic, dunderheaded thing to do to go after Voldemort by yourself."

"What? I never... who told you that?" she demanded, outraged. She'd have to be brain dead the day she decided to take Voldemort on, she was neither brave nor powerful enough to do such thing.

"Well..." Remus started but was visibly reluctant to give a name.

"Miss Tonks." Severus supplied.

"And you believed that scatter-brained hormone-fueled woman?" she inquired in disbelief.

"She is a good auror." the Slytherin pointed out. "She said you went after him to show off."

"Still can't believe you were convinced." she pouted.

"You _did_ like to show of in class." Severus reminded her, and to her horror, she had nothing to retort to that.

"I'll get her back for this." Hermione said venomously.

"So what _did_ happen?" Remus asked kindly, trying to steer the witch's thoughts away from a useless vendetta.

"Just after I left you, I found a first group of dementors I dispatched, the Death-Eaters accompanying them started shooting spells at me, and seeing it didn't work, one of them pressed his wand to his Dark Mark." she said that last bit with a grimace and an involuntary glance at Severus' left arm. "I flew off to the next dementors but it was too late and Vol... You-Know-Who was already on my trail. I didn't have much choice after that but to fly as fast as I could."

"I didn't know He'd go after you." the spy said sincerely, his already pale complexion turning a little whiter "I would have warned you had I known."

"No, you would have told Dumbledore, who in turn would have hidden it from me." she muttered. Too embroiled in her fury at the headmaster who just left her to walk in a trap unawares, she didn't hear Remus recount what had happened just before the battle, until she heard her name.

"...right, Hermione?"

"I'm sorry, what?" she blurted out, a bit embarrassed she had been caught not paying attention, as if they were still her professors and would take points off of Gryffindor, particularly Severus.

"We have to find a way around Dumbledore." Remus repeated. "We were lucky he told me this time, but he may not trust me again with that kind of information. He's probably doing the same thing to Harry and other Order member too, sending us into known danger without forewarning us. It's completely irresponsible from him."

Hermione and Severus shared a look. That same look they had shared in this same room, what seemed like years ago, when Dumbledore had decided to use her as a disposable weapon, same as his spy. A slight, almost imperceptible nod from the Slytherin and Hermione turned to Remus, extending her hand.

"Welcome to the WARTS." she announced happily.

"The WARTS..." Remus repeated, unsure he had heard correctly but letting her shake her hand nonetheless.

"Weapons Against the Rule of Tyrants Syndicate." she explained. "That's all we are to Dumbledore. Severus figured it out ages ago, I just became aware of it, and you're our third member."

"I won't have to wear a badge, will I?" Remus inquired suspiciously.

It was Severus who shook his head in the negative with a smirk.

"I forbade it." he announced smugly, winning an appreciative smile from Remus.

They plotted for a while, enjoying bad-mouthing their leader of the light. Severus and Hermione learned just how much Remus had suffered at the hands of Dumbledore, as the old man sent him on increasingly more dangerous missions amongst the werewolves, with nary a care for his health. Remus confided the old wizard had even been disappointed to learn he was probably not a werewolf any more, which had incensed Hermione, necessitating a dose of calming draught lest she storm off to Hogwarts to give Dumbledore a severe tongue lashing. After that, the first official meeting of the WARTS broke off, Hermione needing to sleep off her exhaustion some more.


	9. Chapter 9: Charming and Changing

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everything from his realm belongs to its creator, J.K. ROWLING. I make absolutely no money with it. Like you didn't know that already.**

**A/N: Had a bit of a writer's block, sorry about that, but I did go out with a net to capture that ruddy muse so she'd go back to work. Thanks to my beta, Fredrika, and you all, for your support and for not pressuring me ^^**

Chapter 9: Charming and Changing

Hermione was up and around again by the next day. Remus had wanted her to take it easy before continuing their exploration of her patronus form, after all, he doubted very much one could face Voldemort without feeling drained magically, physically and emotionally. Even Harry needed a few days to sort himself out after facing the monstrous dark wizard, and the Boy-who-lived had faced him too many times to count now. There was just no way anyone could get used to the evil stench that emanated from Voldemort.

So Remus had suggested they list the spells Hermione had been hit with during the battle and which had obviously not harmed her. The witch had heard or recognized a few, but Remus had to rely on her description of others to deduce what they were. Unfortunately, the majority of them had been fired by Voldemort who favored wordless casting, which made their task more difficult.

At least the young woman was kept busy, preventing her from going stir crazy and insisting they experiment on the patronus itself.

For the rest of the day, the wizard had the perfect excuse to keep Hermione occupied and by his side for hours. WARTS had tasked him with finding a way to communicate safely, undetected by either Dumbledore or Voldemort. Hermione's charmed Galleons were common knowledge amongst their enemies now and would be of no use. They couldn't hold messages long enough to serve their purpose anyway. But he did think his Marauder's heritage could come in handy, particularly a certain Marauder's map. If he could copy some of its magic to suit their current purpose... but the map had been created a long time ago, and they had been four to do it at the time.

"I think I have a solution for WARTS." he told her conspiratorially in a whisper at lunch, while the other men were busy fighting over the last of the roast beef.

A spark of deep interest shone in the witch's eager eyes.

"I knew you could do it!"

"It's not done yet." he tempered "I'll need your help, if you have time to spare this afternoon."

"Sure. Mistress Fredrik took over the arithmancy calculations Dumbledore needs for a few days so I can rest." she said the last with a moue of distaste, but quickly recovered her more enthusiastic disposition at the prospect of a new challenging project. "So what is it?"

Remus glanced around at the other occupants of the room and mouthed a silent "Not here." before beckoning her to follow him out of the kitchen.

He led her up to his bedroom and only once he had closed the door behind her with an ominous click, did he notice it wasn't such a good idea to have a beautiful young witch in his private quarters. Not only was his mind gallivanting in forbidden places, but tongues would start wagging furiously about the two of them if anyone caught them here. He hesitated and then shrugged, what was done was done, no point in ushering her out now.

Remus saw Hermione perusing his small book collection, which was not surprising, and another realization hit him. His books were shabby, most of them he had picked up at the second-hand section of Flourish and Blotts. But not only that: the few clothes lying about were tattered and threadbare, but still usable so he hadn't thrown them out. The few trinkets that decorated his room had known better days, probably decades ago and even the bed-spread looked like it had been chewed out by one of Hagrid's fluffy monsters. His whole room reeked of shabbiness and poverty. He was ashamed of Hermione seeing it and angry that he should be ashamed. He couldn't help being cast out by the Wizarding society because he was a werewolf.

"So where is it?" Hermione asked, sweeping the small bedroom with her eyes and bringing him out of his dark thoughts.

Remus motioned her to the desk and opened a hidden drawer, revealing a neatly folded stack of parchments, three to be exact. The witch unfolded the one on top and turned it over several time.

"Okay... Parchment. And what does it do?"

"Hermione, you passed your NEWTS. Surely you're familiar with the concept of writing on parchment with quills and ink." he teased, unable to help himself. He knew she was going to scrunch up her nose and press her lips together in an effort not to stick her tongue out, and he chuckled when she effectively did. "I want to bind these three parchments together with a Protean charm like you did with your DA galleons, and have them protected like the Marauders Map so no one but the intended user can really access its true contents."

"But it won't be very practical running around looking for a quill when you need to part information quickly. Particularly Severus, I mean if he's in enemy territory, it won't be very handy."

"That's why I need you to perform the charm you used on the galleons, so we'll be able to write upon the parchment just by applying your wand to it."

"Mhmm, we can try, I don't know how it'll interact with the protection spells from the Marauders Map though."

"Time to find out then!" Remus replied cheerfully.

The pair of them worked on the parchment all afternoon, discussing theory, concealment, practicality, and testing the parchments. They didn't make much breakthrough and decided to try again the next day, and the next, and the one after, always sneaking off into Remus' bedroom after lunch, where they would huddle around his small desk, trying to make the various embedded charms cooperate to exist on the same innocuous parchments.

It was only by luck that they remembered to get down that Wednesday for the Patronus lessons. They were completely engrossed in trying to stabilize the charmed shape-shifting ink, when someone knocked something over downstairs in a loud clatter and awakened Mrs Black's portrait, who shrieked her usual pure-blooded invectives. Remus chuckled when he thought it had probably been Tonks who had tripped over the troll's leg that was still used as an umbrella holder for some reason. For once, her clumsiness had proved to be useful: it would have been awkward if one of Hermione's pupils had knocked on his bedroom door to ask about her whereabouts, only to find her there.

That night's session was more eventful than the others, as Miss Lovegood managed to hold her Patronus form for a few minutes. She looked quite similar to Hermione's Patronus: glowing as brightly and just as translucent, but her long wavy hair was not as wild and lively. In fact, it was her eyes that were her most striking feature. They shone as blazingly as a lighthouse, so much so that it was difficult to watch her directly in the eyes. He wondered if each Patronus form would have specific attributes depending on their human shape, and speculated idly on what his would be. If he ever manage the transformation that is.

Hermione glowed with pride, congratulating Luna and reassuring the tired witch that it would get easier with each transformation. The others gathered around Luna too, offering their own congratulations and asking for any tips.

Remus stayed back and watched Hermione, which seemed to have become something of a habit lately. The witch had a calculating gleam in her eyes as she looked at her successful pupil, and Remus knew, without a doubt, that she wanted to experiment one of their numerous theories on what would happen if two Patronus-people touched. Somehow, he had hoped it would be with him she would be testing it out with, just like they had been doing together for so long, and he felt a pang of loss, followed soon after by determination to master his own Patronus form as soon as possible.

Finally, it was Friday night when Hermione and Remus had achieved their goal: three messaging parchments were ready. Anyone seeing them now, wouldn't think twice about them: Severus' would normally display a list of potion ingredients, Hermione's a simple arithmancy calculation and his own, a list of Defence books. That way, the ink would be present for the message charm to work, as it would simply rearrange itself when the password was applied to the parchment to access the true message. It had the added benefit of explaining the presence of a piece of spare parchment on their person if they were ever captured.

The trickiest bit had been to find a way to be alerted of a new message: heating the parchment like Hermione had done with the coins proved unsuccessful since the dry paper would simply turn into ashes. Hermione suggested a sonorous alarm like the muggle phones, but that was too much of a give-away, particularly in their spy's case. Despite their better judgement, they finally decided on a dark compulsion spell that subconsciously influenced you to check the parchment when a new message awaited. It was a dark spell because it _could _be used for less honorable endeavors and it needed the recipient's blood to be cast. It was all about intent in the end, so the witch had declared it was more of a grey-spell than a dark one, and thus, was perfectly all right to use.

Severus, however, had arched one of his eyebrows in surprise when Hermione had requested a vial of his blood, but to Remus' own astonishment, had immediately complied without question. The Gryffindor wizard wondered, not for the first time, if there was not more to their relationship than they were letting on, and a flame of jealousy licked at his heart before he smothered it, thinking of how ridiculous he was being. Hermione wasn't his, and would probably never be, even if he had wanted her. No, that was a lie, he did want her, he was just doing his best not too.

The compelling spell had worked like a charm, and it wasn't even as strong as they had feared. They felt a sudden urge to check the parchment and that was it, if they focused on something else, the need faded.

"I'll give his to Severus tomorrow." Hermione chirped happily.

"I didn't know he was coming. Is he attending the Patronus lessons?" Remus asked casually, although he really couldn't picture the dour man all aglow and pretty that seemed to be the norm for the Patroni.

"Oh, no." she said uneasily, not meeting his eyes. "He... We have a... thing... to work on. That's all. Nothing to worry about."

Remus nodded but hadn't believed a word she had said. Gryffindors couldn't lie to save their lives – except for that traitorous rat, Pettigrew, he recalled somberly.

"All right then. Good night Hermione."

"You too, Remus. Don't forget the lessons start at ten tomorrow morning, I'll see you in the library."

But the wizard did not sleep well that night. He kept fretting over what Hermione and Severus had planned the next day and why they felt the need to hide it from him, since he was also a member of WARTS. Or did they have another very secret organization within the secret organization, which was part of yet a third, less secret organization. It was very early morning when Remus gave up on trying to catch some sleep altogether and quietly made his way downstairs to drown his gloomy thoughts in a mug of hot chocolate. With a marshmallow or two.

However, as he reached the ground floor, he saw light coming from under the Library's door and he naturally went to check on the reason for it. He refused to admit he was hoping Hermione was already up, of course, but he wouldn't be surprised, he had often found her reading at odd hours in that room, whether into the late hours of the night or at an insanely early hour, like today.

Remus pushed the door open slowly, so as not to startle whoever was there. But he was the one to be alarmed by what he saw instead. Hermione was in her Patronus form, barely hovering above the floor, facing a black clad figure raising his wand. The Gryffindor only had the time to hear the beginning of the cruciatus curse leaving the foe's lips, before his instincts kicked in and he bodily launched himself on the menacing wizard that had his back to him. Remus tackled him to the ground and tried wringing the wand away from his opponent's grip.

"Get off me!" bellowed a deep angry voice he knew only too well, followed by the witch's pleas to let him go.

He released his prisoner from under him.

"Sorry, Severus. I was thought you were a Death-Eater ready to cast an unforgivable on Hermione."

The Slytherin glared at him and sneered.

"Both of your assumptions are correct."

Remus allowed a smirk to grace his features. It wasn't everyday he could pull one over on the sarcastic man. He then turned to Hermione, who had regained her human shape, with a more severe expression.

"I thought we agreed to wait before trying such a dangerous spell?"

"No, you decided that on your own. And at the speed we're going, we'll never know if it has any effect on my Patronus. I'm not going to wait to be on a battlefield to find out. I know you just want to protect me, Remus, but I _need_ to know. Even more so if others are starting to master the spell."

"But why Severus? Surely I could have..."

"Could you, Lupin? Really?" Severus asked snidely.

Remus faltered. Of course, he knew the theory, and he was skilled and strong enough as far as wizards went, but it was true he had never cast an Unforgivable before. It was said it needed more hatred and darkness than he thought himself capable of, if he wanted to be completely honest.

"Maybe not." he conceded, and it was the Slytherin's turn to sport a triumphant smile.

"Besides." Hermione interrupted them. "I thought it could be useful for Severus to have real memories of him torturing Harry Potter's best friend for information if he ever was in a tight spot. Just in case the Patronus didn't work against that spell." she added hastily, seeing Remus' bewildered look at the thought of her really getting cruciated.

"Now, if you don't mind, Lupin." Severus told him, shooing him away, like an annoying pet. "I don't have all day, you know."

"You're really doing this then?" he asked, looking from one to the other. Hermione stared stubbornly back, giving a single firm nod of her head.

"As soon as you're done with your bloody knight-in-shining-armor act, yes." The Slytherin spat impatiently.

Remus blushed at the meaning of that and retreated to the corner nearest Hermione, just in case, and looked wearily as the young woman faced the somber wizard in her Patronus once more.

Severus cast the unforgivable, his wand aimed straight at Hermione's chest.

"You sure you cast it right?" she questioned after a few seconds of tense silence.

"Are you implying I did it wrong, you insufferable know-it-all?"

"I wouldn't dare, it just seemed a bit anti-climatic, I didn't even feel a shiver. I guess we're settled on that particular question then. Still, I wonder if the killing curse..."

"NO!" the wizards' two voices exclaimed at the same time, nipping that idea in the bud.

"All right, all right. No need for hysterics." she chuckled. "How about the _Imperio_ then? Severus?"

"If you insist. Imperio." he said lazily.

"Should I be feeling something?" the witch inquired.

"Well, you shouldn't be so chatty, for one, so we can safely assume you are once more immune."

"Immune to two out of the three unforgivables." she resumed innocently. "You know, I'm sure the killing curse wouldn't harm me either."

Remus sighed and he clearly heard the Slytherin mutter about her foolishness and having a death-wish. He couldn't agree more.

"I think that's enough emotions for today and I, for one, could do with some coffee." Remus announced. "Severus?"

The man nodded, and the group quietly made their way to the kitchen. Remus prepared a pot of strong coffee while Hermione offered Severus his messaging parchment, explaining to him how to use it. The raven-haired wizard was actually more curious about the device's conception and they spent the next hour in animated discussion about magical theories, until the next residents made their way down for breakfast. Severus excused himself, as he had to head back to Hogwarts to attend his duties as Head of House, and the two Gryffindors returned to the Library to await the beginning of the Patronus lesson. As he was about to follow Hermione through the door, he was roughly pulled back, and the door locked and sound-proofed before him.

"What..." he started before he realized just who had been manhandling him. "Severus, if you wanted a word, you could have just asked, you know." which only earned him a derisive sneer.

"I wanted a word concerning Hermione, but seeing as you're so...inseparable, this seemed the best way to go about it."

Remus rolled his eyes at his pitiful excuse, he was sure the man had enjoyed finding a reason, however lame, to rough him up.

"What about Hermione, then?" Remus asked suspiciously

"I find you way too familiar with her." Severus told him blandly, which was very rare for a Slytherin.

"So are you." the Gryffindor countered.

"It's different, I care for her like I would a little sister." he explained, glaring at him, as if daring him to laugh at such an attachment to someone, and to a former student no less. "You, however," he continued in a menacing tone, "don't think for a second I haven't noticed the way you look at her."

Remus blanched, he didn't think anyone would have noticed his errant thoughts and looks when the young woman was around.

"You can't be serious." Severus seethed when Remus failed to even try denying it. "For Merlin's sake, Lupin, you're way too old for her, you could be her father!"

"I know! I know!" Remus all but shouted, getting angry at the Slytherin. "Don't you think I haven't realized that? I don't intend to act upon it. It's just... an infatuation. It'll go away. With time..."

The other wizard continued to glare at him, probably hoping he'd drop dead from all the venom his dark eyes held at that moment.

"This is the only warning I'll give you: do anything, and I mean _anything_, untoward to Hermione and I swear no woman will ever look at you ever again with anything but disgust when I'm done with you."

Remus didn't doubt for a second that the dour potions master probably did know a good many curses that would make him look like Filch's ugly little brother, but he was still angry at him for thinking he would ever take advantage of Hermione.

"I told you, I don't intend to."

The Slytherin made a non-committal sound, and whirled around to stalk out of the house, not that Remus was surprised: the gloomy wizard liked making dramatic exits as much as he liked making grand entrances. How he managed to be a spy was beyond him however, he had always imagined it required stealth and discretion. Shrugging off the whole meeting, Remus started undoing the wards Severus had placed on the door, and had _conveniently _forgotten to take down. Just as he finished, the first pupils started arriving and Hermione, who was obviously bursting with questions concerning his sudden disappearance and her confinement to the Library, rushed towards him.

"I'll tell you later." he whispered, wondering if he actually should tell her just what Severus had been accusing him off. He didn't want to make the young woman uncomfortable.

The lesson went much as the others had. Tonks ignoring Hermione and what he supposed was attempts at seducing him; Luna hovering dreamily in the room and fixing her disturbingly bright eyes on the other pupils; Ginny and Harry avoiding looking at each other; Ron snoring in a corner -he didn't know why he even bothered coming in fact - ; and Shacklebolt who was so focused, Remus didn't understand why it was he hadn't mastered the patronus yet.

The Gryffindor heard the now familiar yelp that came from Neville whenever he managed to trigger the spell.

"You can do it, Neville." Luna said in her calm voice, flying nearer the scared young man. "Just relax, let it take over you. It doesn't hurt, quite the contrary actually."

The tension visibly eased from his shoulders, he let out a breath he must have been holding since his wand had started becoming translucent, and everyone watched attentively as the shy wizard became their third patronus totalus. Remus looked at him more attentively than the others, searching for a distinctive feature like Hermione and Luna had, but found none at first glance, he was just very average, like he was as a human.

"That's wonderful, Neville!" Hermione squealed. "I knew you could do it."

Neville offered her a shy smile, and his patronus form faltered.

"Sorry." he said. "It's really tiring."

Luna, in her human form once more, pulled him towards the couch so they could rest and share their common experience. Remus sighed, he didn't even have the excuse that only women could master this spell now that Neville had transformed successfully, and judging by the scowl on Kingsley's face, he was thinking along the same line.

Trudging over to his assigned place on a cushion on the floor, Remus tuned out Tonk's flirting and closed his eyes. He felt like sulking but wanted nothing more but to master the damned _Patronus Totalus._ He wanted to take such an important part in the battles to come too, to fight the vile dark creatures that allied themselves to Voldemort, to fly alongside Hermione and lift some of the burden off her shoulders.

"Remus." came the pink-haired auror's annoying voice and he decided to ignore her. "Remus!"

Snapping his eyes open to glare at the woman, his gaze was immediately caught by the sight of his wand glowing brightly as it enveloped itself in the Patronus light. He must have unconsciously been casting the _Patronus Totalus_ while lost in his thoughts, his desire to protect everyone and Hermione in particular...

He realized everyone in the library was watching him, but as Neville had done just a few minutes before, he let the tension slide away from him to allow the intense blueish white glow to take over him completely. It felt...glorious. He had never felt so blissfully happy and well in his entire life, not even since he had been stripped of the werewolf that had feasted upon his soul for so long. This was something else entirely, like reaching a new plane of existence, and he doubted there even existed a word to describe what he was feeling.

He needed to see Hermione, amazed that this wondrous witch could have invented such a magnificent spell, and he glowed just that much brighter when their eyes locked, hoping no one had noticed. He didn't need other Order members going all big-brotherly on him like Severus had done.

"Aren't you feeling drained?" Hermione asked after a few minutes. "You've been holding your patronus for longer than either of us managed on our first try."

"Not really." Remus confessed reluctantly. "It's probably because I'm older and more used to harnessing my magical powers."

"Good news then." the ever practical Shacklebolt said. "You'll be able to assist Hermione next time."

"Snake-face is in for a surprise." Ron snickered. "And wait till Luna and Neville join you too."

Hermione and Remus both winced at the idea of more of them being targeted by the dark wizard, and judging by Neville's green complexion, he wouldn't be ready any time soon anyway.

After a few acrobatic moves around the library to get a feel for his new weightless and ghost-like shape, Remus joined the other Patroni on the couch, he wanted to know what they had in common to have mastered the spell while other very talented and powerful wizards like Harry and Kinglsey hadn't managed as much.

Near the end of their lesson, like the last time they were all assembled here, Dumbledore appeared, and although his entrance was not as alarming or flamboyant as the last, Remus feared another attack was under way to capture Hermione. Or himself, now, he added as an afterthought. He caught the witch's frightened gaze, and quickly went to her side to reassure her, whatever anyone made of that.


	10. Chapter 10: Old Man Plotting

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everything from his realm belongs to its creator, J.K. ROWLING. I make absolutely no money with it. Like you didn't know that already.**

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews you guys! And the new followers and favouriters! And my beta, Fredrika! Turns out I write as much for you as I do for myself :D**

Chapter 10: Old Man Plotting

Dumbledore's unexpected arrival must have made everyone look as equally anxious because the old wizard chuckled and quickly announced he was just here to check on their progress, as he would have done last week, if there had not been more pressing matters.

Hermione remained beside Remus, relieved she wouldn't have to face Voldemort again so soon, but still feeling comforted by the man's presence next to her. She knew she could always count on him for support.

"As a matter of fact, we've made much progress today, sir. Luna can sustain her patronus a little longer every time she transforms, but it'll still take some practice before she maintains it as long as I." Hermione reported in as detached a manner as she could, although she didn't like the gleam of anticipation she found in their leader's eyes. "Neville just managed to transform today." she added, smiling proudly despite herself and what it meant for Neville, as he would be dragged more deeply into Dumbledore's plans whether he wanted to or not.

Dumbledore gave a kind grandfatherly smile to Neville, and she could have sworn the young wizard shivered. She glanced curiously at her shy friend: maybe he wasn't as oblivious to Dumbledore's deceptive façade as she had thought, and she made a mental note to invite him into WARTS if her suspicions proved correct.

"Remus transformed today too, and he can stay in that form for as long as I." she announced, finishing her report.

"Really?" Dumbledore asked, clearly surprised. "Oh, that's good... Well done Remus. Do you think you'll be able to join our dear Miss Granger the next time the need arises?"

"Of course, Albus." the Gryffindor answered without a second of hesitation, earning a heartfelt smile from the witch at his side. Just then, Hermione noticed their leader giving them the queerest look she had ever seen, and coming from him, who liked to pretend he was a dotty old man, that was saying a lot. She shuffled uneasily, afraid he had just discovered something about WARTS, but that couldn't be the case... so why was he staring at her and Remus like that? Just then, his gaze shifted and she let out the breath she'd unconsciously been holding.

"I think," the headmaster started slowly, eyeing his newly forged Patroni weapons. "that it would be safer if Miss Lovegood and Mister Longbottom agreed to take up residence here, at headquarters. You will, of course, continue on with your normal occupations at day, but my mind would be more at rest if you regained the safety of this house at night. Indulge an old man's wish?"

Luna gave an elegant little shrug of her slim shoulders.

"I don't mind. I have no one waiting at home since the Death-Eaters took papa away, and I still haven't managed to repair the press. You know, I think Wrackspurts have probably invaded my house."

A few glances were exchanged, everyone wondering if that was a good or a bad thing, but Luna looked happy about the "invitation" so Hermione didn't feel as bad for being overjoyed at having another female resident around.

"I'm not sure gran will agree." Neville told Dumbledore timidly. "She doesn't like me being away."

"Ah, yes. Augusta is rather protective, isn't she? But worry not, young Longbottom, I'll accompany you back and talk to your grandmother. It's been awhile since I've last taken tea with her anyway." And with that, Neville's fate was sealed.

"One last thing." Dumbledore added casually, which warranted the feeling of dread that made itself known in the pit of her stomach. "I will send my personal house-elf over to get the bedrooms ready for tomorrow night, and he will then stay on to help with the chores, as the house will be getting quite crowded with two new permanent residents."

Hermione wanted to object, but lacked any reason to do so, a house-elf would be a welcome help in this place full of boys. She would have preferred an elf she could actually trust, like Dobby, or even Kreacher. But the free House-Elf had been killed a year ago as he protected Harry from an unexpected Death-Eater attack, and the miserable servant that had come with this House had mysteriously disappeared for just as long, leaving Hermione to make sure everything got done in the house. She eventually had to make a planning so everyone took turns making meals and cleaning the common areas. Yes, a house-elf seemed like a wonderful idea indeed, but she couldn't help thinking Dumbledore had some ulterior motive for doing so.

* * *

Hermione was going down to the kitchen later that day to prepare the dinner, after having spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on some arithmancy publications in the library. She wasn't much of a cook but, living here, she soon learned the boys preferred quantity over quality. Except for Remus, but he was too nice to say anything about it, although he couldn't always hide the grimace or wrinkling of his nose that appeared when she tried something new and failed appallingly. She actually found potions easier than cooking, and wondered if maybe her taste buds were defective.

"What is you doing here missus?" came a squeaky but firm voice from near her ankles.

Looking down, she realized she had almost knocked over a small house-elf with large flapping ears and unsettling purple eyes.

"Uhm, hello. You must the house-elf Professor Dumbledore sent over?" she asked in a friendly manner. She didn't like the old man but that was no reason to extend her enmity to the little creature.

"I is, missus. My name is Fudge, missus" the house-elf announced proudly.

Fudge? Hermione had difficulties holding in her laughter as she wondered if the former Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, had known Dumbledore had a house-elf named like him. Maybe that was the real reason the politician had hated the headmaster so much.

"Well...Fudge." she said, with tears of suppressed laughter brimming in her eyes. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Hermione Granger. I was actually going to start making dinner, I thought you would be busy enough as it is preparing Luna and Neville's bedrooms."

"Oh, no, Missus. I is already done, so is making dinner too. Your bedroom is ready too, missus."

Hermione froze, her grin slowly sliding away.

"What do you mean, my bedroom? I already have one." she frowned at the little creature, who didn't look fazed at all by it.

"Oh no, missus. You was having a bedroom in the wrong place. It was not appropriate at all, Missus. You and the other lady friend now has bedrooms on the second floor. All the misters have bedrooms on the first floor." Fudge explained calmly as if it all made perfect sense.

"YOU WHAT?!" Hermione burst out in one of her rare, but terrible, bouts of anger. "Whatever did you do that for? That has been _my_ room for over a year. Whatever made you think I would want to change it?"

"Master Dumbledore ordered me to look after the safety of the residents. This is for your safety." It told her slowly in his infuriatingly calm voice.

Seeing no way to talk the stubborn house-elf out of his strange reasoning, she stormed off to find where this new bedroom of hers was supposed to be. She hated the idea of changing it, she had always felt safe with her private quarters wedged in between Harry's and Remus'. At least she would have Luna close by, she never would have managed to sleep if she had been the lone woman isolated on a landing.

The seething witch reached her bedroom, or at least what had been hers until today. She opened the door, and although she had been prepared for it, the place, now devoid of all her personal belongings, twisted her stomach in a knot and she angrily threw the door closed in a deafening bang. Remus came running out of his own bedroom next door with his wand at the ready.

"Hermione? Is everything all right?" he asked worriedly, as she stood still in front of her closed door, shaking in frustration.

"That depends." she answered in a tight voice. "Have you met Fudge yet?"

"Fudge?" he wondered. "The former Minister?"

She shook her head in the negative, although the image did manage to lighten her stormy mood.

"No, Fudge is the name of Dumbledore's house-elf. Turns out..." Hermione cut herself off, deep in thought for a minute. "He! Yes, definitely a he. Well, he decided I shouldn't be staying in my room any longer because it is _in__appropriate_."

Remus frowned.

"Where is your room then?"

" I don't know, somewhere on the second floor I'm told. With Luna's. I guess Neville will be your new neighbor." she answered miserably.

"Do you think Dumbledore put him up to this?"

She hadn't actually considered the creature's motivations yet, besides the nonsense he'd sprouted.

"What makes you say that?"

" I'm not sure. It sure sounds like something he would do and... did you notice that look he gave us before he left?"

Hermione nodded, she had wondered ever since what it had meant, but didn't think anyone else had noticed.

"For some reason, he doesn't seem to like the idea that we are...close. This may be a way for him to bring some distance between us."

"Do you think he knows about WARTS?" she questioned, alarmed now.

"I don't know how he could. Except if Severus..."

"Severus would never say a word about it." she interrupted him in a harsh tone. "He's the worst one off with Dumbledore's manipulations, you know."

"Well, for whatever reason Dumbledore is doing this, it may only be his first step at driving a wedge between us so we'd better watch out. And you'd better write all this to Severus tonight too."

She agreed, she didn't like this one bit and maybe the Slytherin would have more insight into the old man's meddling.

"Come on," Remus said, taking her hand nonchalantly, as he steered her towards the staircase. "I'll help you find your new quarters."

They found Luna's room first, which was still devoid of any personal touches but had been impeccably cleaned and arranged in an elegant way. Her own bedroom was right next to it, with all her belongings neatly arranged and put away. She reluctantly admitted that this room was much brighter and bigger that her previous one.

"This isn't so bad." Remus said, echoing her own thoughts. "And I think...yes, you're right above my own room, so we're still neighbors, of sorts."

Hermione smiled weakly at his attempt to cheer her up, and they decided a delicious house-elf made meal might do them some good.

* * *

"_That's __actually a go__o__d idea."_ Severus spiky writing appeared on the parchment in answer to Hermione's rant against Fudge's new living arrangements.

Lying on her stomach on her new bed, the witch growled in frustration before she wrote back, her writing made shaky and hurried by her anger.

"_I can't believe it! You're glad I was evicted from my own bedroom just because Harry and Remus were next door? I didn't know you were so old-fashioned."_

"_I'm hurt. It only proves how little you know me." _and he could even convey his sarcasm in writing.

"_I guess I could cut a ruddy great hole in the floorboards, Remus' bedroom is right beneath my own after all."_ she teased back.

"_Don't you dare, or I'll make sure the ugly beast is relocated in the attic. Permanently"_

"_You know, I'm starting to think you're the one who put Fudge up to this."_

"_It really isn't, but you've got to admire the headmaster's sneakiness. I always thought he was meant to be sorted in Slytherin with his friend Grindelwald."_

"_It's not as if I have a choice anyway, I tried moving my stuff back but Fudge kept replacing it as soon as it was out."_

"_I thought the room assigned to you was better?"_

Hermione sighed, she couldn't very well tell Severus she was too afraid to fall asleep just because no one else was near. The Slytherin may have mellowed where she was concerned, but she didn't doubt for a second that he'd tease her about her irrational fear relentlessly.

"_You're right." _she wrote simply. _"And Dumbledore did go to all the trouble of making sure I was allotted__ the biggest, most luxurious bedroom of this run-down mansion, so I might as well enjoy it. Good night then, Severus."_

The witch read her friend's good night wishes before tucking the parchment back into her nightgown pocket. She always kept it on herself, like she did with her wand, except at night when they found themselves tucked safely under her pillow. She paced her bedroom, feeling too anxious to go to sleep. Usually, at this hour, she could hear Harry's soft snoring through the common wall, or even Alastor's mutterings from _across_ the hallway. Feet shuffling, doors creaking, books falling... but isolated as she was on this landing, she couldn't even hear any sound coming from Remus' bedroom. The silence and sense of loneliness overwhelmed her, and she decided to make herself a cup of hot cocoa, provided that Fudge even let her. Or maybe the house-elf was patrolling the house, making sure boys and girls didn't sneak out of their rooms.

Her decision made, Hermione tightened her nightgown, fastened her fluffy slippers to make her way down the creaky staircase, making mental notes of which steps creaked and where, in case she ever _did _need to sneak around.

On the first landing, she hesitated. She supposed she could go and see Remus, he probably wouldn't mind keeping her company and any other day, he might have done so. But today had been the wizard's first transformation as a Patronus, and, although he mastered it perfectly on his first change, he was probably very tired and out like a light. So she continued downwards, not meeting any reproving purple eyes or flapping ears along the way, like she had thought she would, but only because the little house-elf was still busy cleaning in the kitchen.

"What is you wanting missus. You isn't liking your new bedroom." Fudge asked sadly, and she really didn't think he was faking it. He _had_ put a lot of effort into making it look so good after all.

"No, Fudge, it's okay. It's a very nice room. I'm just not used to it. I was going to make myself a hot chocolate to help me sleep."

"Let Fudge doing that for you, missus." the little creature said, already summoning everything he needed to please her.

Too late to protest, she waited patiently and a minute later a hot cup of delicious smelling sweetness was pushed into her hands. She thanked the elf and told him he didn't have to clean everything tonight if he wanted to rest, which only seemed to upset him so she left him to it and went to her personal haven, the library.

To say she was surprised to find Remus lounging on the sofa with a voluminous book was an understatement, she had been so sure he would be exhausted from being a patronus, but apparently, he was much more powerful than she was.

"Couldn't sleep, then?" he asked softly with a small smile.

"You know me too well." she pouted. "It's just so _quiet_ up there. It's like there's no one else in the world. I hate it."

Remus sat up and motioned her to sit next to him.

"Luna will be here tomorrow. With any luck she snores as much as Harry does." he offered to comfort her.

"I'd love that." she chuckled, laughing at the absurdity of the conversation. "I contacted our third member." she said cryptically, _just_ in case large flapping ears were eavesdropping. "It turns out he agrees with the little meddler."

"Can't say I'm surprised." her friend grumbled.

"Why's that?" she quizzed, and suddenly she recalled Remus had briefly disappeared that morning. She strongly suspected Severus had something to do with it too. "Did Severus tell you something?"

"Something, yeah... I'd rather not talk about it." he answered, frowning and mentally adding "and certainly not with you."

"Probably gave you the same speech he gave me." she muttered under her breath, but not enough that Remus didn't hear her.

"I-I hardly think so!" he exclaimed, a colourful blush creeping up his face, and he couldn't look Hermione in the eyes any more.

"Oh, now, I really want to know. Maybe I should message him? Since he's insomniac, I'm sure I'll get an answer in the next...oh, I don't know, minute or two?" she said innocently, sliding her parchment and wand out of her pocket in a dramatic flourish.

"You really don't want to know." the wizard insisted, in a sterner voice. "I really wish you'd let it go, Hermione."

She hadn't realized this was such a sore subject for the Gryffindor, but seeing him so distraught, she quickly gave up her on her teasing. She had no right butting into his private affairs after all. The young woman finished her cup and banished it to the kitchen. Chocolate was the best medicine according to Remus and she tended to agree with him, but right now, she could have done with a dreamless sleep potion, because the mere thought of climbing the two stories to her isolated and silent room made her insides churn with anxiety.

"I think I'll turn in for the night. You should go to bed too, Hermione." Remus' voice roused her from the sleepy thoughts she had drifted into as she snuggled deeper into the sofa and against the wizard's side.

"I can't, I'd rather stay here." she replied immediately and she blamed her subconsciousness for having made up its mind before she even knew what she was saying. However, she had always felt at home in this room and had often fallen asleep in this very spot. She'd wake up with a stiff neck but at least, she'd sleep. So all in all, it wasn't such a bad idea.

Remus made to move just then and she didn't like that idea either, she had been so content just a minute ago she could have drifted easily into a peaceful slumber. And it appeared she was particularly selfish this late at night because she begged him to stay with her.

"Only until I fall asleep. It won't be that long. Please?"

She could see the wizard was having an internal conflict with himself, but he soon gave up and transfigured one of the cushions into a burgundy blanket that he threw around her shoulders before he made himself more comfortable in the sofa, pulling the witch in his arms so she could use him as a pillow.

A very warm pillow, that gave off a masculine fragrance of aftershave with a hint of citrus overtones, and had a heart that beat wildly under her ear. She moved her hand to rest next to her head, on his chest, and felt him shiver. She wondered if it had been a reaction of anticipation or disgust, and blamed herself for being so clueless where men were concerned. As far as she knew, it could be either, or maybe he was just cold, but she somehow doubted it seeing how much heat he was radiating.

She hoped he wasn't repulsed by her at least. Even if they were just friends, the very idea that he could find her so repellent did hurt her feelings. And didn't that mean she harbored more than friendship for her friend? Her mind was throwing itself into a frenzy of unanswerable questions that just led to more, so she decided that if she wanted to catch some much needed sleep, she would just have to accept that, for once, she was in uncharted territory and didn't have a single answer. But she would find them, she vowed, as she listened to Remus' heart beating at a steady rhythm now and finally fell into the land of dreams.

* * *

"What do you think you're doing?" shrieked a squeaky voice. "Master will not be happy. Oh no! Fudge needs to iron his hands right now! And his ears too! Master did warn Fudge, but Fudge was so happy cleaning all the house, oh yes! Fudge is a bad bad selfish elf! Maybe master will give Fudge clothes... Oh no! No! No! Fudge will iron his feet too, oh yes!"

"Shhh... Keep it down, Fudge." came Hermione's sleepy voice, who had been roused by the house-elf's shrill voice and loud banging. "What are you blabbering about?"

She pushed herself up from her heavenly warm and comfy sofa to get a better view at whatever the little creature was up to, until her pillow groaned. Remus had stayed with her the whole night and she couldn't help smiling at the man with his sleep tousled hair shooting off in odd directions and his half-lidded eyes that widened suddenly at the sight of her. Apparently, he had not meant to remain here. She smiled fondly down at him.

"Good morning, Remus."

"Hello Hermione." he said a bit sheepishly, his voice still raspy from the night. "I'm sorry, I must have fallen asleep too."

"Don't be." she quipped. "I've never slept better, the best pillow I've ever had. I might have to borrow you more often."

Remus made a strange face and was suddenly in a hurry to get up and away from her, eliciting a painful pang in her heart. He gently pushed her away and was already halfway to the door, before she even thought about picking herself up to go after him.

"Remus, wait!" she called after him before she tripped over Fudge, who had maintained steady flow of self-recrimination but was now ready to share some of the blame.

"Bad missus! You is not allowed mixing with the misters. No kissy-kissy and no hanky-panky the master said."

"Dumbledore told you that?" she asked aghast, but Fudge was now too busy banging his head against the table to pay any attention. "Fudge! Stop that now!"

The house-elf was obviously only trying to obey some inane orders given by the headmaster, so she couldn't very well let him hurt himself because of it.

"Nothing happened, Fudge!" she exclaimed over the racket he was making and feeling stupid for having to justify her love-life, or lack thereof, to a hysteric house-elf.

"Really, missus?" Fudge sniffled.

"Yes." she ground out between her teeth. She was really unhappy with the whole situation and so mad at Dumbledore that she would probably hex his beard off without warning if he dared show his pointy nose right then. Wasn't it enough that he had so much control over their lives as Order members already? No, that manipulative old bastard wanted to be in command of their most personal life too, it seemed.

Fudge calmed down enough that Hermione didn't fear for his safety any longer and she stormed off to her room, angry at Dumbledore, at his aggravating servant and even at Remus for having run off like that.

A hot bubble-bath bath and a hot cup of coffee from a bruised and apologetic house-elf were not enough to calm down her fury. And still no sign of Remus. Was he planning on hiding from her from now on? Hermione paced the kitchen, and then the library, but she could still feet the anger building up. She needed some fresh air, she needed to get out of this house in which she had been cooped up for so long. She already had her wand and parchment, she grabbed her heavy winter cloak hanging in the entrance and apparated away on the doorstep without a backwards glance.


	11. Chapter 11: Confessions

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everything from his realm belongs to its creator, J.K. ROWLING. I make absolutely no money with it. Like you didn't know that already.**

**A/N: I don't mind bad ****reviews, I really don't, especially if they're well-argued. (Although I'd be lying if I said they didn't hurt a little.) But I would really like it if they were not anonymous so I can discuss it with you. Bad reviews are ****always**** anonymous, which I don't un****derstand, I'm not going to rip you apart because I disagree with you, you know. But for your information, I found no reference that Augusta Longbottom doesn't trust / like Albus Dumbledore, on the contrary, she's always been very supportive of him.**

**Also, sorry for the delay in updating...you know...real life and all comes in the way sometimes.**

**And my eternal thanks to my beta, Fredrika, too, who's always there for me :)**

Chapter 11: Confessions

Hermione wasn't gone for more than a couple hour, strolling aimlessly through muggle London under a light drizzle, when the first compelling spell that linked her to her parchment hit her and she quickly found a quiet spot on an isolated and out of the way bench. She discretely checked her parchment, doubting it would be a summons for a Death-Eater attack this early in the morning. Voldemort's followers were not morning people, and who could blame them with all those dark revels and sessions of torture they had to attend that went well into the night. And as she expected, it was a message from Remus.

"_Where are you? I'm worried."_

"_Muggle London. Won't be long." _she answered back immediately, not wanting him to alert everyone and send off a man-hunt because she had desperately needed some fresh air and time alone.

She needed to think and sort things through.

First, Remus' retreat from the library that morning had hurt her more than it should have. If it had been Harry, she would have simply laughed it off. But Remus, he was much more important to her now, she realised with a start. When had _that _begun? True, they did spend a fair amount of time together now they were both confined to the mouldy old house that was their home but that couldn't be the only explanation, could it? To top it off, they were in the middle of a war, and now was definitely not the time to harbour silly crushes.

Except Hermione Granger didn't do silly crushes. Not since the Gilderoy Lockheart fiasco in her second year. In fact she had never even fallen in love with anyone. Not with Viktor whose arm she had adorned at the Yull Ball in her fourth year, not even with Ron or Harry who she had spent an inordinate amount of time with despite them being boys, but who were like brothers to her and nothing more.

Adding to her emotional turmoil a meddling old man did not help her make any sense of all this mess. Why _was _Dumbledore playing match-maker, or in her case, un-maker? The witch couldn't believe he was doing it just to exert more control over them. If anything, it would make them stand against him, which he undoubtedly wanted to avoid as Remus and she were his only functional patroni. It had to be something else. But what? Think, think, think...

Hermione didn't know how long she had been moodily staring at the Thames that flowed sluggishly before the bench she had chosen as refuge. The slow movement and brownish colour did nothing to raise her spirits, nor did the grey cloudy sky. Even the few passer-bys she had seen looked miserable. The parchment demanded her attention once more, veering her mind away from her depressing thoughts. The young woman frowned, she hadn't expected another message from Remus so soon, and it turned out it wasn't.

"_Come back. Dumbledore is looking for you."_ Severus' neat spiky writing spelled out.

She sighed, she just couldn't be left alone, could she? She wondered for a moment if she could just ignore them, but knew it would only make matters worse in the end. She got up reluctantly, made her way into a dark -and smelly- alleyway and disapparated to number 12, Grimmauld Place, where two stern faces awaited her.

"Headmaster. Professor Snape." she greeted the two men formally, if somewhat coldly.

"Miss Granger. I am so very glad you are well. But may I remind you that it isn't safe to be out, let alone on your own. You should have asked for someone to accompany you at least." Dumbledore admonished her as soon as she had stepped inside, not even giving her a minute to take off her damp cloak.

"I think avoiding to attract attention to myself in the middle of muggle London is safe enough. And easier to accomplish on my own." she countered with a frown.

"Was there a particular reason you needed to be out there?" he interrogated.

"Apart from escaping this prison? No, not really." she dismissed him.

Dumbledore took on a pinched expression, as if he had finally come across a lemon drop that was too sour for his taste, but chose not to let himself be lead into that slippery slope, probably knowing he'd lose the argument.

"Very well, but please remember people are counting on you. Losing you could very well cost us this war." he concluded dramatically, using the guilt card to repress her rebellion.

Hermione only nodded before heading off to the library where she could hear people gathered, and supposed it was an Order meeting about to begin, rather than a personal berating, Dumbledore had come for. All the patroni and her less successful pupils, as well as the headquarter's residents and a few more prominent Order members were comfortably seated on an odd assortment of conjured chairs, chatting animatedly around a cup of tea and sponge cake. Severus ushered her forward as he caught up with her, closing and warding the door behind him and Dumbledore.

The young woman sat down in a vacant armchair that faced Remus, trying to catch his eye, but he stubbornly kept his gaze riveted to the ground, so she waited instead for Dumbledore to announce what he had gathered them for.

"Severus has brought us terrible and alarming news. We had been expecting a move from Voldemort's troops on Halloween, as you all know, which was and remains a symbolical date for Tom and an excuse for him to unleash his most vicious attacks in both the magical and muggle worlds. However, for an unknown reason, nothing of the sort came to pass. Severus gathered information that he is instead discretely planning a massive attack on the winter solstice, just before Christmas."

"Do we know what his target is this time?" Alastor Moody asked. "We've been utterly useless against him since he started harvesting muggles to feed his dark creatures. It' a wonder muggle authorities haven't started suspecting our world."

"That's just it." Severus answered. "The Dark Lord does not care about the statute of secrecy. In fact, he has wanted to breach it entirely for a very long time, and I cannot convince him otherwise any longer lest he starts doubting my allegiance."

"That's a convenient excuse for you, isn't it?" the battle-scarred auror said snidely.

"Alastor..." Dumbledore warned. "The target is unknown as of now, but this leaves us time, almost a month, to prepare ourselves for a massive operation and Severus will continue doing his best to gather more information."

Severus bowed his head just a fraction in acknowledgement to the headmaster's words and graciously returned to his seat under Mad-Eye's baleful glare.

"Aurors, I want you to continue recruiting discretely amongst the ministry employees. Except for Miss Tonks, and you, Kinglsey. You two will be in charge of practice drills at headquarters for the rest of the Order. But I am concerned." he added gravely, looking at her, Remus, Luna and a quivering Neville "You four are our only hope against the dark creatures that have gathered around Voldemort, and only two of you can help us at the moment. It is my immediate concern that none of you lose this ability."

"But how could we lose it. I mean, it's a spell... once we've learned it, we can't unlearn it." Neville interrupted the headmaster, sounding perplexed, in what Hermione thought was a very astute question, even if a bit awkwardly worded.

"It is only suppositions on my part, of course. But I suspect this particular spell needs one or more requirements to function, and if these specifications are not met any more, the spell will cease to work. Just like wizards need to have seen Death in order to see Thestrals, it is conditional magic"

Hermione thought this made sense, she had wondered herself why talented people like Harry and Shacklebolt had not mastered the _Patronus Totalus _when Neville had. She also noticed Remus was imperceptibly nodding his head and she gathered he had probably given this strange occurrence some thought too.

"What do you think these conditions are, headmaster?" Luna asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"As I said, I can't be absolutely certain. Before Remus mastered it himself," he said eyeing the former werewolf with a pointed stare. "I had thought it simply had something to do with youth and projecting ideals. None of which apply to our dear Remus, quite a bit older and too cynical to believe in such ideals any longer." he continued, looking expectantly at Hermione this time. But she refused to be flustered by the old man and held his stare. "So, I will have to ask all of you, as long as Tom is not disposed of, not to make any rash, life-changing decisions." This last statement was met by a puzzled silence, everyone wondering what exactly the old wizard meant.

"Miss Granger?" Dumbledore, who had been stroking his long bear in thought, addressed her directly after a while, " Have any of your brilliant arithmancy equations yielded any explanations concerning this issue?"

Hermione hesitated for a second, blinking uncomprehendingly: Dumbledore knew very well her arithmancy had not given any results, Professor Fredrik having taken her notes a few days ago to review them with the headmaster. But maybe he only wanted to present her work to the rest of the Order.

"I'm afraid not. Nothing conclusive, at least." the young woman was loath to admit. She leaned over to reach for a muggle notebook in a nearby shelf and shuffled through it, frowning at its scribbled pages, before handing it open to Dumbledore. "The equations make sense, up to a point. The four sphere of influences that belong to us patroni all cross in one single point here, whereas all the others who are training to become one, but haven't succeeded yet, are excluded, no matter what variables I add or leave out. I've been trying to identify what binds us four, as opposed to the others... without any luck. I even tried cheating with the input." Hermione added sheepishly, and, for the first time since the meeting began, Remus met her eyes and smiled.

"What is this line here, Miss Granger?" Dumbledore asked her as one of his gnarled finger traced a half-erased streak that perfectly met all four patroni spheres.

"Oh, that's the representation of one of my false inputs. But it can't possibly be correct." she said dismissively.

"Why ever not? It seems so perfect." the headmaster insisted.

"Because it can't possibly apply to Remus, although it does apply to Luna, Neville and I... I know, I checked with them." Hermione answered, glancing nervously at Luna and a blushing Neville.

"What is it then?" Dumbledore quizzed again.

"Something that is too private to discuss here." she retorted sharply, feeling all eyes on her and tired of the old man's insistence at poking his long pointy nose where it didn't belong. But the wizard only looked more excited and eager to get the truth out of her, while all the other Order members were watching this near-shouting match in awe. Most of them had never seen the serious rule-abiding witch defy a figure of authority before, much less the very respected Albus Dumbledore.

"My dear girl," the leader of the Light told her sternly and somewhat menacingly, "nothing is too private or personal for any of us if it helps us win this war."

Hermione glared at him mutinously, gripping her chair's armrests in a death-grip.

"You took a vow to obey me and I command you to tell me the truth!" he bellowed at last, making everyone jump in their seat.

Taken aback by the sudden outburst, Hermione shrank back in her armchair and glimpsed the other Order members. Severus was slightly cocking his head to the right, probably wondering what she was so adamant to hide she was overtly defying Dumbledore. Remus looked troubled but she couldn't blame him since she had not shared her findings or lack thereof with him. Like a bright gaudy neon sign, Hermione couldn't miss the bubble-gum haired Tonks who was enjoying the show so much her smirk spread from one ear to the next. But it was on Luna and Neville that her gaze lingered the longest, worry evident in her eyes.

"Go ahead, Hermione." Luna said in her sing-song voice, understanding her dilemma. "I don't mind, if it helps. I don't think Neville will either."

Neville was white as a sheet and staring at his feet, but effectively nodding his head. She had to admire their courage, she wasn't sure he wanted to share this piece of information herself, certainly not to such a vast assembly, and certainly not to Tonks and Dumbledore. But judging by the old wizard's triumphant smile, she was given little choice in the matter. She rose from her seat to attract everyone's gaze, she could at least try to shield Luna and Neville, if only a little.

"I..." she started, but her voice sounded shaky and feeble even to her ears, so she cleared her throat and took on her lecture voice to make this ordeal a bit less personal. "As I said, I've been tweaking the information input to isolate similarities between the four patroni, basing the variables on my own specificities..." She paused and drew a deep breath before continuing, unable to meet anyone's gaze. "Luna, Neville and I happen to lack experience...romantically, and that is what that arithmantic line represents, headmaster."

A guffaw, no doubt Tonks', met the end of her explanation. She could feel the blush starting to creep up her neck and crossed her arms before her in a futile attempt to protect herself. Now would start the questioning, but she refused to sit down, lest Luna and Neville be asked embarrassing questions too.

"So..." Dumbledore said, stroking his beard as the cogwheels turned furiously behind his half-moon glasses, "Can I assume then that you three are virgins?" And he was so quick to jump to that conclusion that she wondered if the old wizard had already given this venue some thought.

"Yes." Hermione answered simply, because there was no reason to go into details after all, it just so happened that none of them had found someone special to be intimate with and that they weren't the kind of people to be satisfied with one-night stands. "So you see now why this is not the information you're looking for, as it doesn't apply to Remus."

She could see the headmaster's calculating eyes jumping from one of her pupils to the next, whether they had mastered her spell or not.

"Yes, it would be logical... it would take both purity and maturity to unleash such a powerful light spell as the _Patronus Totalus. _I've been wondering myself if... " he said, as his piercing blue eyes came to rest on Remus last.

"You can't be serious." Hermione scoffed, understanding what he meant.

"No?" the old wizard replied snidely, "You haven't actually asked Remus, have you?"

She looked uncertainly at her friend, who was quite pale, but the notion was just too ridiculous: he was quite older, so handsome and kind. And if Tonks' was anything to go by, women literally threw themselves at him, there was just no way...

"Well, no. It's too personal, I can't go asking everyone that. I only asked Luna and Neville because we've been close for years. And others, I know _aren't _virgins any more." she explained trying hard not too glance at Harry and Ginny, especially because Mrs Weasley was there and staring suspiciously at her daughter. Ron, on the other hand, had boasted so much about his feminine conquests that it was a secret to no one. "But I can't go asking that point blank to my elders, they'd be right to tell me off."

"Well, I'm the eldest here, I'll just have to ask myself, won't I? Remus?" Dumbledore prompted and suddenly all eyes left her to focus on the poor Gryffindor wizard, who looked miserable and positively green.

But why would he? Unless...

"You've got to be kidding me!" Severus exclaimed mockingly. "The famous Marauders, always surrounded by flocks of brainless fan-girls, and you want us to believe you've never taken advantage of it?"

"That would be Sirius and James." Remus answered coolly. "I wouldn't expect _you_ to understand."

"So it's true?" the Slytherin sniggered. "You've never bed a woman? That is just so-"

"_So_ what, Severus?" Hermione interrupted him angrily. "I fail to see why _we _should be ashamed of it."

Now that she knew Remus was a virgin, and although she still had trouble coming to grasps with it, she felt bad for being responsible of bringing it out in the open. She should have told him or even asked him, but she had been too embarrassed and sincerely thought this couldn't be the solution to the _Patronus Totalus_ requirements. But she wouldn't let Dumbledore, or even Severus, make things worse between her and Remus.

"No, not _you, _obviously_."_ Severus replied, taken aback by her outburst. "But Lupin..."

"Lupin, nothing at all! It's none of your concern! Any of you." Hermione told the room at large, sweeping her arm to include them all. "It just so happens to be, and a damn good thing it is too or we'd be one patronus shorter. Now, those of you who _don't_ fulfil the requirement, I don't expect you to attend the next lessons, but I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will provide enough virgins to replace you."

The contempt and sarcasm that dripped from her were hard to miss, and no one dared say anything so she huffed exasperatedly, turned to take Remus' limp hand, leading him out in the direction of the kitchen. Not the most private of places to seek refuge but she knew a hot chocolate would do her friend good, and by the time the members of the Order of the Phoenix finished bickering about what had just happened, they would be left well alone. Mrs Weasley in particular would be working herself into a snitch by now. Poor Ginny.

Remus sat motionless on the kitchen's bench while she prepared two mugs. He didn't react even when she pushed the warm drink into his hands, so she started talking.

"I'm sorry Remus. I didn't know. I didn't mean to hurt you, although that seems all I'm capable of..." she said, thinking of the recent past where she had transformed the poor wizard into a nightmarish suffering monster, nearly killing him in the process. "I just assumed... it was so ludicrous to think that you... Oh, Gods, I'm no better than Severus."

The young woman hid her face in her hands, intent on not crying. Remus needed a strong friend to support him, not a snivelling whiny witch. Her resolve strengthened, she looked her friend in the eye and reached for his hand across the table, clasping it tightly.

"I won't judge you, Remus." she told him softly. "Merlin knows I don't have a reason to. I meant what I told the others, it's nobody's business, but if you do want to talk to someone, I'm here for you, and if you don't... I'll understand."

She felt his hand shift lightly under her own, and his eyes that seemed so lost just a second earlier focused on her own. He tried smiling at her but it turned into a sour grimace.

"I... It's just... I was a werewolf. Before." he tried explaining. "I never wanted to get intimate with another woman because of it. And the only one who breached the defences I'd built around my heart, fled when I did tell her about my lycantropie."

Hermione had never considered him being a werewolf would impact his personal life just as much as it had his professional one. She didn't know what to say, but Remus went on.

"Sirius would be laughing his head off if he knew I was still clueless about women at my age. He was such a womanizer, he kept teasing me about it, saying I should just keep my lycantropie to myself. But that wouldn't be right."

The two friends shared a small smile, that was so like Remus to do what was right rather than what he wanted. The wizard's smile grew larger.

"You're going to be in so much trouble with the old man." he told her in a teasing tone. "You as good as accused him of being a pimp... 'providing virgins'."

"Not so far from the truth, mind you. I bet you a galleon we _will_ have new volunteers for the _Patronus Totalus_ before long."

The wizard nodded his agreement while he sipped his hot chocolate, colour finally returning to his cheeks as the shock of being exposed gradually wore off.

"You know, I think he actually knew why we could perform the spell, when others couldn't." Remus told her uneasily. "I wouldn't be surprised if he had heard Sirius' taunts in fact..."

"And that's why he set Fudge on us! To keep us apart!" she exclaimed as the realisation dawned on her. "Not that we..." she blushed, looking away.

"No." he chuckled, but it sounded a bit sorrowful to her ears.

"Damn that old man! I feel like he played me for a fool!" Hermione muttered angrily, and only Remus' comforting presence prevented her from storming out and yelling at the manipulative old coot.

It was only about midday when the first Order members began to trickle back into the kitchen. Remus had refused to shut himself away in his room, arguing that he would have to face them all sooner or later anyway.

"I've gotta say I'm relieved." Shacklebolt told them in his deep booming voice. "I was getting quite frustrated not managing to master that spell of yours, Hermione. I was even starting to think I'd have to resign as an auror for incompetence."

"Merlin forbids." The young witch laughed. "Everyone knows you're the best auror out there: the whole department would have to resign with you, and now is not a good time. Speaking of which, I didn't think the meeting would end so early." she asked with a discreet nod toward Mrs Weasley who was banging pots and pans so loudly over the stove that her fiery temper must have reached new heights.

"Oh, it shouldn't have, " he answered in hushed tones, "Molly started berating her daughter not long after you'd gone, but Dumbledore told her -and I quote- to stuff a sock in it."

"Oh!" Remus ad Hermione both exclaimed at the same time. That was either very brave or very foolish of the old wizard. Molly Weasley was a formidable witch with, at best, an unpredictable and fierce temper.

"I think you'd better stay out of Dumbledore's beard for awhile though, Hermione, I've never seen him quite so angry before." the auror added, prompting her to look over her shoulder for his whereabouts. "Don't worry, he stayed behind with Snape, but a Weasley-alert might be in order."

A sullen Ginny was fast approaching, Harry, Ron, Luna and Neville in tow.

"I ought to be mad at you." the red-head told her, pouting. "Mom is going to be such a pain to deal with now. But if that's the price to pay for getting my Harry back, I'm more than willing to pay it." Seeing their puzzled expressions, she added: "He came to my rescue, you know. Stood right between me and mom when she was going purple in the face from yelling."

"He's bonkers, if you ask me" Ron supplied.

"She's scarier than my gran." Neville agreed.

Hermione smiled at the shy boy.

"So you're staying with us now, Neville? I'm surprised Dumbledore managed to convince your grandmother to let you go." she asked.

"After what happened in the library, I'm starting to think Professor Dumbledore obtains whatever he wants, by any means possible." the young Gryffindor countered, smiling apologetically at her and Remus as if it had been his fault, and she was once more agreeably surprised by the young wizard's analytical mind that was, once more, spot on. "But this time, I think he got more than he bargained for." He grinned without giving further explanations but the loud voices coming from the hallway seemed to illustrate what Neville was hinting at. One of the angry voices was evidently Dumbledore's, while the other she didn't recognize but belonged to a very angry woman. Was the headmaster having an argument with Mrs Black's portrait? That seemed uncanny. All of the kitchen occupants had fallen silent, straining their ears to hear bribes of the heated argument, when the kitchen's door slammed open, pushed by a pointy leather boot preceding a stuffed vulture sitting on a hat and a bright red handbag.

"Everyone, this is my gran." Neville announced nervously.


	12. Chapter 12: A Woman's Touch

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everything from his realm belongs to its creator, J.K. ROWLING. I make absolutely no money with it. Like you didn't know that already.**

**A/N: Oh man, facing the blank page... Thanks to Fredrika for sticking with me and I want to acknowledge Belle2611 too for offering her help. I'm sorry I can't get the chapters out sooner but thanks for encouraging me despite that. I think that for my next stories, I'll wait for them to be entirely written before submitting them. I recall a few authors do that.**

Chapter 12: A Woman's Touch

Against his better judgement, Albus Dumbledore had accepted Augusta Longbottom's demand that she live at the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix so she could "keep an eye" on her only grandson. Neville might not be happy about the arrangement but Hermione was ecstatic: not only had the old lady told Dumbledore off about his meddling in loud and unflattering terms, but she had also coaxed Fudge, stubborn little house-elf that he was, to return all of Hermione's belongings to her former bedroom.

Henceforth, the young woman could again sleep like a log in the comfort of her own familiar bedroom, safely tucked between Harry's and Remus' personal quarters.

The fearsome witch wasn't even that much of a nuisance: she had selected a small study to be turned into a bedroom on the ground floor, saying she wanted to be the first line of defence in case of an attack by "those ruddy Death-Eaters" - but Hermione suspected she just wasn't that keen on having to climb the stairs all that much, which Neville confirmed when he explained she had a weak knee from an old injury. They learned Augusta Longbottom had in fact been a talented auror in her youth and an important member of the Order of the Phoenix in the first war, regaling them at meals with stories of that time. Truth be told, all the residents enjoyed her witty conversations and the tips she gave them when it came to facing Voldemort's troops. Even grumpy Alastor approved of her.

Neville was relieved everyone got along since he had feared his friends would blame the presence of his old gran on him. He dearly loved her, but he hastily chose a bedroom as far away as possible from his old relative, on the second floor, next to the room Fudge had tried assigning to her, and that Luna had happily accepted as her own.

All in all, everyone was very happy with the arrangements, except for Dumbledore. He rarely came to Grimmauld Place any more if he could avoid it. Not even to introduce new candidates for the _Patronus Totalus_ lessons. According to Severus, it turned out people were not very comfortable discussing their romantic involvement with an old wizard. One witch even threatened to file a complaint with the MLE for sexual harassment.

Hermione's lessons were going well with their smaller group: Luna and Neville were progressing rapidly, while Remus was a natural at it, now that he had gotten the hang of it.

"I think we should continue experimenting the spell now that you're used to your Patronus form." Hermione offered one day.

"What do you have in mind?" her friend asked, but there wasn't really much else to try, so she guessed he was still reluctant.

"Oh, come on, Remus! You know we have to make two Patroni touch at one point, especially if there is to be four of us in battle at some point." she argued.

Remus looked at the two other pupils who were laughing across the room as the sunlight shined through them, and agreed.

"Luna, Neville!" he called them over, and they quickly floated over before becoming human again. "Hermione and I are going to make our Patronus forms come in contact. If something goes wrong, don't touch us and call Fudge so he can fetch Dumbledore. Understood?"

The two of them nodded and stepped back to the relative safety of the sofa, while Hermione and Remus transformed into their glowing translucent forms.

"Ready?" Remus asked, anxiety lacing his voice, although he tried hiding it under a reassuring smile, as he extended a hand towards her, palm first.

"Ready." The witch answered shakily, as she extended her own, terrified that she might hurt her friend once more.

Their hands met and unexpectedly felt solid. They had often theorized over this experience and, most of the times, had agreed that they would just pass through each other. But sometimes, they wondered if they wouldn't both explode in a joyous shower of sparkling glitter. However, Remus' hand felt warm to the touch and sent tingles rippling across her ghostly skin. She wondered if he felt the same as she observed his startled expression. She continued touching his hand before letting it glide over his arm and then his face, enjoying the warm and tingly contact. Remus, she felt, was doing the same with her wild hair before caressing her face and she leaned into his hand.

A couple of giggles broke the charm, and Hermione broke away, embarrassed at being caught unawares.

"Maybe you two should get a room." Luna said matter-of-factly.

"So, any other effects? Other than the obvious, I mean." Neville asked with a knowing grin, surprising them with his boldness.

Hermione blushed, not knowing how to explain her reaction, and she was relieved when Remus stepped up.

"I'm not sure. I got... distracted." the man chuckled. "I think we should try again, Hermione, and try to focus a bit more."

"Speak for yourself." she replied with mock pout. "I'm not the one who got sidetracked."

"Of course not." Remus agreed mockingly, eyes bright with suppressed laughter. "One last try and I think I'm done for tonight. Ready?"

Their palms met, and Hermione strived not to keep dwelling on the delicious feel of his skin, concentrating instead on anything out of the ordinary – for a patronus, that is.

"Feel anything?" she asked him.

He didn't answer immediately, his lips quirking up as if he was enjoying some private joke:

"No. You?"

She shook her head, both relieved they hadn't blown up and disappointed there wasn't more to the Patronus Totalus than met the eye.

"Anything happened?" Neville asked from the sofa.

"Absolutely nothing. You two can safely try it out if you want." Hermione answered with a wan smile.

Neville and Luna exchanged a quick look before scrambling to their feet and transforming, eagerly reaching for the other's translucent hand. Hermione laughed, despite being a bit jealous that the two of them seemed to understand each other so well without the use of words. The Gryffindor witch had been feeling increasingly attracted to Remus the more time they spent together, because they shared the same interests and could talk for hour on end, because he was so witty, considerate and charming without even trying to, because he never berated her for spending hours with her nose in a dusty book or for frequently sporting ink stains on her hands or robes. Her mother had always told her that love would sneak in on her when she least expected it to...and the young woman thought it finally had. But, she knew she lacked the courage to broach the subject with Remus. What if Remus felt none of that? She wished the two of them had the same instinctual understanding Neville and Luna appeared to have.

Remus was already in his human shape when he addressed her once more.

"Touch me." he ordered.

"I beg your pardon?" she stammered, certain she had misunderstood.

"You're still in your patronus shape. Touch me. I don't think it'll do anything, but we haven't tried a human-patronus contact yet."

Hermione looked fearfully at his hand. The last time she had touched him like that, she had transformed him into a monster.

"I-I can't. Are you absolutely certain there's no traces left of the werewolf? None whatsoever? I can't hurt you again..."

Remus let his hand fall limply to his side, looking guilty.

"No. You're right. I'm sorry. The full moon is approaching though. I plan to lock myself in the attic as usual. Just in case. Maybe we can try after that?" he compromised.

Hermione nodded, relieved he understood, but anxiously anticipating the next full moon, fearing her "cure" against lycantropie was flawed.

* * *

Remus had locked himself up early that afternoon in the attic, reassuring all the occupants, and Hermione in particular, that everything would be allright, that it was just a precaution. However, since the wizard was probably only human now, he couldn't take any wolfsbane potion without risking poisoning himself. The downside was that if he _was_ still a werewolf, the transformation would be very painful and difficult. And if he turned into that suffering monster again, it would be even worse.

Hermione tried sleeping but ended up pacing back and forth in her room. The moon would be at its peak soon and Remus would finally know what fate awaited him. She couldn't wait any longer and made her way quietly to the topmost floor where she hoped to greet Remus if he was cured.

"What're you doing here, little girl?" Tonks asked, stepping out of the shadows on the top landing.

Hermione started, her heart beating wildly, she hadn't expected anyone to be here, and certainly not Tonks. The auror looked like hell too with big dark bags under her dulled eyes. Her maniacal sneer wasn't much more reassuring, but she had to stand her ground if she didn't want the older witch to continue picking on her.

"Checking up on Remus, not that it's any of your business. I _live_ here, contrary to you." she shot back, trying to step around the auror.

"But Dumbledore asked _me_ to overlook tonight's full moon. So you can go back to your bedroom and cuddle your teddy-bear, girl."

"Back to petty insults, are you, Tonks? I guess that just shows who is more mature between you and me. Now, step aside, please." The younger witch almost growled, still stuck on the last step of the steep staircase.

"No...No, he's mine. _I_ saw him first!" Tonks snarled, advancing on her and poking her finger at the other woman's shoulder with each word.

"You're completely delusional." Hermione breathed out. "Remus doesn't even like you."

"Liar!" the auror shouted, shoving the smaller witch harder this time. "Liar!"

With that last push, Hermione lost her footing on the old wooden step she was standing on and tumbled backwards, a strangled cry escaping her lips as she desperately tried to grab something, anything, to avoid what she knew would be a long and painful tumble down the hard stairs. She saw Tonks peek over the landing and could have sworn the crazy bitch was _smiling._ Hermione braced herself for the fall, covering her head with both arms as she rolled over and over before landing in a heap on mid-floor landing below.

She felt like she had just been through a complete spin-cycle in her grandmother's ancient washing-machine. She was probably covered head to foot in bruises too. To think she had only fallen half a story before crashing into the opposite wall... But she knew her ordeal was not over yet when she glimpsed the auror's dragon-hide boots and crimson robes stopping right by her aching head and was proved right when she pulled her up by he hair to sneer at her face.

"Because you think he likes you? You're just a girl, and a very plain one at that."

"You're denser than I thought if you think that matters to him." she snarled right back.

"Really? Well, we'll just see about that then." Tonks shot back.

Hermione then witnessed, horror struck and powerless, as the striking pink-haired witch's features shifted into her own familiar face, as well as her whole body. Before she could do anything else than gape at her, Tonks shot her at wand point with a full body-bind, then levitated her back up the stairs, shoving her into a musty old closet facing the attic door where Remus was still locked in.

"Wouldn't want you to miss the show." The false Hermione winked, casting a one way see-through charm on the door before slamming it in her face.

Hermione wouldn't have known what to do or say even if she hadn't been stupefied. She had been trained to fight ruthlessly against Death-eaters, but Tonks was supposed to be an ally. Was she to consider her an enemy now. Clearly her actions warranted that, but she couldn't help feeling like the other witch had completely lost her mind. What did she think the Order would say? Did she really think she could get away with it?

Well... maybe she could if she obliviated her, or just got rid of her. A trained auror surely had the means to do either, and no one would be the wiser.

Hermione shook her head to get rid of these gloomy thoughts. She really had to give muggle crime novels a rest. She had to concentrate on what she _could _do right now.

Her wand! Where was her wand? She knew she had taken it to go check on Remus, just in case he needed help or had to be restrained if he was still a werewolf, and she had put it in her robe's pocket. But then she had tumbled down the stairs, and since she couldn't remember feeling it on her person since then, it was either discarded on the stairs, or even broken from her fall. Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse.

So, she was forced to wait and look as Tonks hastily transfigured her auror's uniform to what she had been wearing, destroying the last hope she had that the metamorphmagus be revealed as an impostor.

* * *

It was the full moon and Remus had not transformed, he was officially cured of lycantropie! He couldn't wait to tell Hermione, I was all thanks to her after all, she had done the impossible. But he wanted to wait for at least another hour, for good measure. Finally, he went to the door to take the security wards down and was almost finished when he heard two feminine voices just outside. He guessed Luna and Hermione were probably waiting up for him to celebrate, but then, the voices became angrier. It took him some time to tear down the remaining wards, damn his own paranoia, and he finally threw the door open, coming face to face with his friend.

"Hermione!" he said relieved and happy to see her there. "I'm cured! I'm no longer a werewolf!"

Before he knew what he was doing, he had the witch spinning in his arms, crushing her in a hug, so happy and grateful to be free of the curse that had made his life so difficult up to now.

"It's all thanks to you. I don't know how to thank you." he told her sincerely, whispering in her ear as his body reacting despite himself to the proximity of her warm soft body and to the hungry look in her eyes.

"Hermione, I..."

But that was as far as he got as the young witch pushed forward a little more, capturing his lips in a urgent kiss, her hands sliding under his shirt as if she couldn't get enough of him. Not at all what he had expected from Hermione, not that he was complaining either, he was enjoying this after all but it didn't feel right. Luckily for his muddled emotions and weakening resolve, the WARTS parchment chose jut that moment to activate.

"Talk about bad timing." he muttered, knowing this had to be from the protective Severus. Remus wondered if the talented double-agent had found a way to spy on them to make sure he didn't sully Hermione. He would probably put his threats to execution the next time they met after he had snogged his protégée like that. Remus pushed Hermione back gently so she wouldn't be offended before reaching in his pocket for the messaging device. The WARTS founding member, however, was just staring at him with a quizzical look.

"Didn't you get a message too?" he asked.

Once more, she only gazed at him uncomprehendingly, which set alarm bells ringing loudly in his mind, suddenly clearing all thoughts of kissing more of this lovely witch. Actually, he should have seen much earlier something was wrong: Hermione had not uttered one word since he had opened the door, which was so unlike her that he should have been alarmed much earlier... when she had started sexually molesting him to be precise. That alone was so un-Hermione-like, she might as well have been wearing a badge stating she as a visiting Death-Eater in disguise.

"Never mind. Have you heard from Dumbledore?" he asked nonchalantly.

The Hermione look-alike still didn't speak, probably because a polyjuiced impostor couldn't change their voice. Having his doubts confirmed by her lack of answer, he discreetly pulled his wand out, holding it firmly, but keeping it hidden in the folds of his robes.

"You don't seem well. Wolf ate your tongue?" he added more menacingly, advancing on her now.

Hermione's silhouette shimmered as she grew taller and thinner, her hair shortening dramatically as they turned a gaudy pink shade. He groaned, realizing he had been duped by none other than Tonks. He should have known. This woman had really gone too far this time.

"Tonks! what do you think you're doing? Have you no shame?"

"As a matter of fact, no. And I seem to recall you were enjoying it too. As much as I was."

"Only because I thought you were... not you."

"But I can be anyone you like. Even _her_, if that's your thing. And when you get tired of her, I can be anyone you desire." And as she said this, she became first an alluring red-headed beauty, then a curvaceous blond, before becoming someone who looked suspiciously like Bellatrix Lestrange and returning to her pink-haired self.

"No!" he snarled, pushing her back against the wall. "You're so... shallow, and childish. Do you know me so little? Do you really think I care so much for someone's appearance? You're just a shell, Tonks. An empty shell. I don't want you to come near me, ever again. Do you understand?"

The witch merely looked mutinous however.

"I will never have the slightest interest in you, I despise you, and as much as I'm itching to hurt you right now, I know you're not even worth the trouble it'd take to hex you."

That seemed to get through to her. Tonks' face turned sour and her hair blackened visibly before she pushed passed him and stomped down the stairs. Remus slumped against the nearest wall and sighed in relief: what had started as one of the best days of his life had quickly turned into a nightmare. And if Hermione ever heard of this incident, he didn't know who she would be more mad at: Tonks for impersonating her, or him for falling for it and worse, having the nerve to kiss her, or at least, an exact copy of herself.

A tug at the back of his mind reminded him that he had a message awaiting him. Maybe it was Hermione after all, and not Severus as he had first deduced. A hope that was soon nipped in the bud as the spiky writing hurriedly unfolded on the parchment's surface. Remus read it once, and then a second time to be sure he had read correctly the first time around.

"NO!" he yelled, before dashing down the stairs as fast as he could.


	13. Chapter 13: Flee!

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everything from his realm belongs to its creator, J.K. ROWLING. I make absolutely no money with it. Like you didn't know that already.**

**A/N: Huhuhu, thanks to all the new followers for reading, and to the old ones (as well as my dear beta Fredrika) for sticking with my erratic writing habits! Huhuhu! I'm laughing sillily, but you'll understand why at the end of this chapter...huhu :D**

Chapter 13: Flee!

Remus rushed down the stairs and burst into Hermione's bedroom, not bothering to knock, only to find it cold and empty. He really wanted to find her first but he had no time for that. In fact, he shouldn't have come looking for her first, but it had been his first instinct, he desperately wanted to protect her, more than anyone else. Gritting his teeth and clutching the WARTS parchment tightly in his fist, he whirled around and went to the next bedroom to rouse Harry Potter, the Boy-who-lived, the Chosen One.

"Harry! Harry! Wake up!Godammit!"

The boy mumbled incoherently as he reached a hand to the bedside table for his glasses, but Remus was surprised to see he already had his wand in hand and pointed in the general area of the door.

"Ugh? Wazamatter?" The young wizard managed to get out.

"Get dressed and leave for the Burrow. Take Alastor with you. Hurry! Grimmauld Place may be under attack soon. "

"How? Are you sure?" Harry demanded much more alert now that a clear danger had befallen them all.

"Here." Remus answered, tossing him the parchment, too tens too voice it out himself.

The young man anxiously unfolded the parchment and cast a _Lumos _to make out the spiky writing that couldn't be mistaken for another's:

_I've been found out._

_Will be interrogated._

_Flee!_

Remus doubted he would ever forget those few words which foretold unimaginable danger and pain to come.

"He was found out? Can't we help him?" Harry asked horrified at what his former professor would probably have to live through now. They had found remains of Voldemort's prisoners and it was enough to give anyone nightmares.

Remus shook his head sadly. Who knew where Severus was?

"Our first priority is to get everyone out of here. No doubt Voldemort will aim for you once he get the information."

"But the headquarters have Dumbledore as secret-keeper, shouldn't it be safe?"

"Dumbledore and Severus both think Voldemort has been seeking for ways to breach that magic since it was used in the first war. We're not sure he succeeded but we can't take that risk if he has. That's why I want you at the Burrow, Dumbledore has made other arrangements to have it protected."

The raven-haired wizard resolutely gave a single nod and was almost out of the door before Remus could ask what was bothering him most.

"Have you seen Hermione?"

"Isn't she in her room? I went to check on her before I went to sleep myself."

Remus shook his head, trying to conceal the fear that was gripping him. His gut instinct telling him something was wrong. However he forced himself to do his duty first, waking up all the residents and sending them away in small groups.

Harry and Alastor were to join the second headquarters at the Burrow.

Sturgis and Luna would join a safe house nearby while the Longbottoms would hide out at a place that had belonged to Neville's maternal family and that nobody should know about according to the old witch. That just left him and Hermione, if he could find her. Apparently, Tonks had already left the house, not that he blamed her after what he had said.

"You'll warn Dumbledore, won't you?" Harry asked before everyone left their separate way. "And tell me when you find Hermione. Maybe she just went off for a walk like last time."

"Oh, I doubt that very much, Harry." Mrs Longbottom butted in. "I check all the comings and goings around here. I'm a light sleeper, you see. Only Nymphadora has left the house tonight."

"You're sure?" Remus asked. What was Hermione playing at then? Had she not heard all the commotion?

"Of course I'm sure. I'm not quite senile yet, you little brat."

"Right, sorry Ma'am. Now, everyone leave! I'll find Hermione. She probably fell asleep on a book somewhere."

As the front door shut with an ominous bang, Remus dashed straight for the library, certain he would find the witch asleep on the couch with her face stuck between the pages of an old dusty book and a quill stuck behind her ear, but had no such luck. The kitchen and bathroom yielded the same results.

"This is just stupid. I don't have time for this." The man growled, rushing back to her bedroom.

He snatched her hairbrush and plucked out one of her long curly hair out, spinning it rapidly around the length of his wand.

"Point me." He ordered, willing the simple locating spell to work, and it did, pointing straight up.

_The attic?_

Racing up the creaky staircase, getting more anxious by the second that time was running out to get Hermione to safety, he threw himself into the familiar attic. Empty. He checked his wand again and it was level this time but pointing straight at the doorway. Puzzled he walked back, the only place to hide was a small dark closet he had never even noticed before.

Heart beating, he pulled the door open, revealing a petrified and battered Hermione. Were the Death-Eaters here already? Impossible! He had her unbound in a second but had to physically support her instead.

"What happened?" He asked urgently, but keeping his voice down.

"Tonks. Crazy." She breathed out, apparently too exhausted to make out whole sentences.

"Tonks?" The wizard's eye widened as he realized Hermione must have been stashed in here the whole time while Tonks was coming onto him, but he pushed the guilt and shame away. They had to get out of here first, and fast. He didn't hesitate when he gathered her in his arms and ran down the stairs as fast as he dared, making his way to the front door. Once outside, he cast a quick spell to change the door's flaky black paint to a vivid green to warn other Order members that the place was no longer safe, and spun on the spot with the witch still cradled in his arms, apparating them away.

* * *

Hermione had always hated apparating, it made her feel car-sick for some reason. Side along apparition in the arms of an attractive wizard she was totally falling for was only marginally better.

"I can walk." she protested as Remus was beginning to trek up what she recognised as the path leading up to Hogwarts. This would get very embarrassing if they met Dumbledore, or worse, Minerva. That woman could frown upon people's misbehaviour until they begged to dig their own graves out of shame.

"I'm sure you can, but we don't have time for that." He argued.

"What happened?"

"Severus." He answered hesitantly, knowing how much she cared for him. "I got a message from him saying his position as a spy was revealed. He told us to flee."

"Is everyone safe?"

"Yes. Luckily, I managed to send everyone away. Severus wouldn't brake so easily, he's certainly buying as much time as he can." He reassured her. "Dammit! I knew I was forgetting something!" He suddenly exclaimed.

"What?"

"Fudge. I forgot to send him away." He confessed shamefully. This wouldn't look good on his SPEW record.

"That's okay He's bound to Dumbledore, not to Grimmauld Place. The headmaster can just call him back from here."

Remus nodded and picked up his pace, impatient, for once, to meet with the old wizard.

* * *

The headmaster was awaiting them at the castle's entrance with his deputy, having probably been warned by the wards that they were crossing the school grounds.

"What happened Remus? Were you attacked? Where's Harry?" Dumbledore asked in rapid succession, not giving him enough time to answer either question.

"Let's walk to the Infirmary, I'll fill you in on the way there. What's that spell you use Hermione? Muffliato?"

The younger witch nodded and gave him a thumbs up as the familiar buzzing surrounded them.

"Severus was found out. He was about to be interrogated but managed to warn us in time to flee."

"Are you sure?" McGonagall asked, shocked at the news, and Remus was happy to see how worried she looked about their spy's wealth-fare. Maybe she could be an ally to WARTS after all.

"Positive."

"Do you know how he was found out?" Dumbledore prodded.

"No. His exact words were: _I've been found out. Will be interrogated. Flee!_ And that's all I know. Everyone has been sent away and Harry is at the second headquarters with Alastor."

"Good thinking, Remus. You did well."

"But..." The stern witch interrupted, looking pointedly at the witch he was carrying. "If you were not yet under attack, may I ask what happened to Hermione?"

"That's another problem, and I don't know how bad myself yet: Tonks attacked her. I found her bound and beaten in a closet."

"Nymphadora? I have trouble believing it. She's always been such a nice girl, a true Hufflepuff. What should we do, Albus?" McGonagall asked.

"Even badgers bite, Minerva, and she's a liability right now. If she has turned dark... Maybe I should send the hit-wizards after her. You know what family she comes from after all."

"You can't say that, Albus." Remus cut in. "Sirius and Andromeda are Blacks too. Not that I want to defend her actions tonight, but I think she just lost it... I don't know, maybe she's overworked. She's been strange lately."

"You have put her on a lot of assignments lately, Albus." Minerva agreed. "Maybe the stress finally got to her, it wouldn't be the first time something like this happens in times of war."

Hermione sighed.

"I'm probably the last one here who wants to defend her, but I do think she's gone mental... What she did... it was just crazy. At least give her the benefit of the doubt, headmaster." Hermione pleaded. Sending hit wizards after her? That was as good as a death penalty.

"All right, but I'll have her apprehended nonetheless. She knows too much about the Order to be running wild at the moment. Kingsley ought to be able to find her."

Albus sent a patronus to the senior auror while Remus gently deposited Hermione in one of the infirmary's beds. Poppy Pomfrey immediately began her work, diminishing the bumps and healing the cuts as well as a couple of hairline fractures, before handing her a round container filled with greenish cream.

"Bruise balm." The nurse explained. "I'm afraid you'll have to rub it in just about everywhere."

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey" she said politely before rounding on the headmaster who was just returning. "More importantly, headmaster, what should we do for Severus. Isn't there any way we can rescue him?"

Everyone waited with baited breath as their leader seemed to consider and then discard several options.

"No." He finally replied. "Severus knew the risks. There is nothing we can do that won't get us all killed. We just have to hope for the best."

"The best?" She repeated incredulously. "What's that? That he quickly dies a painless death?"

"There is that, yes." Dumbledore answered frankly. "But there is still a chance that Severus can manage to turn the tables again, and regain his position as spy. Or that he manages to escape. He is very resourceful, you should believe more in him."

"So you're suggesting we do _nothing_!?"

"Miss Granger... Hermione. You are not the only one who cares for Severus. All of us present here do, but believe me when I say there is nothing more we can do for now."

She had nothing more to say. She knew by now it was useless to discuss with the old man when he had made up his mind. He was at least as stubborn as she was.

"Fine. I'm leaving now. Thank you again, Madam Pomfrey for your care, I feel much better." She whirled around with a flourish she was sure Severus would have been proud of and stalked out of the infirmary wing.

"Miss Granger. Maybe you should remain at Hogwarts since you can't return to Grimmauld Place." The headmaster offered, but whether as a true act of kindness or a means to keep her under his thumb, she had little doubt.

"No, thank you, sir. I think I'll take care of myself for now." She responded with what she hoped was disdain, not something she was used to do, but the Malfoys had been a pretty good inspiration for her act.

"I'll look after her." Remus announced and caught up with her before their elders could protest. "I'll keep her safe."

The couple walked in silence out of the school, all the way to Hogsmead. Hermione turned to Remus, clueless about where to go next. She hadn't actually thought that far, she just wanted to get away from Dumbledore. Fortunately, the wizard understood and opened his arms for her to step closer, before apparating them away.

She found herself before an old wooden cottage deep into some dark woods.

"It's very secluded here." Remus explained. "I never met a soul in these woods so it should be safe enough, for now."

Hermione let herself be led into the small house and finally felt free to break down into hopeless sobs.

"Why can't we help Severus?" she pleaded between her wails. "It just seems so unfair. He's always risked so much for us... and now... we can't do anything for him?"

Remus just whispered reassuring words and rubbed her back in circular motions so she would calm down. They ended up snuggling against each other for comfort, Hermione crying until she fell asleep in the wee hours of the morning.

* * *

The next day, when the sun was already high up in the clear sky, a groggy Hermione stepped out of the small bedroom where Remus had put her to bed. He stared despite himself at her skin that had turned all shades of purple and blue during the night, and regretted for an instant having defended Tonks against Dumbledore's wrath.

"Good morning." He finally said, averting his eyes from her bruises.

The young woman mumbled some unintelligible greeting , then made a beeline for the coffee pot that was still steaming on the rickety kitchen table, pouring herself a generous dose in a chipped mug before sitting on the only chair.

"Any news?" she asked, more alert now.

"No. Dumbledore set out a surveillance of Grimmauld Place, but so far, nothing has happened."

"And the parchment?"

"No news. How about yours?"

For some reason the witch looked embarrassed.

"I have it." she said taking it out and leaving it folded on the table. "I always keep it with me. But I don't think there are any new messages since yesterday's."

"You're not certain?"

"I...I lost my wand when Tonks pushed me down the stairs."

"SHE PUSHED YOU DOWN THE STAIRS?" He roared, besides himself at the thought of Hermione's lifeless body. "SHE COULD HAVE BROKEN YOUR NECK! She'll wish it was hit-wizards coming after her when I get my hands on her! That thrice damned bitch!"

He would have continued to rage on for hours like that he was sure. He was so angry he had started throwing what little furniture there was left in the paltry cottage, having finally snapped and given in to his mounting anger. But all that hatred melted away like a snowball in hell when the little witch hugged him fiercely, forcing him to calm down instantly.

"It's okay. I'm okay, Remus. Calm down, please." She whispered soothingly.

"But why did you defend her? I'm only sorry I did. She deserved the punishment. Maybe she really did turn dark, who knows?"

"Like I said. I think she lost her mind: a mental breakdown or acute stress disorder. It's fairly common in her field of work, even more so with the war. Just the fact that she thought she could get away with what she'd done, and then trying to take my place and throwing herself at you like that..."

"You saw all of it?"

Hermione only nodded, looking away.

"I'm sorry." he told her sincerely, not that he believed it would be enough. "If I had known you were injured, right next to me..."

"You couldn't have known."

"I should have. I should have known it wasn't you."

"You can't say that. Her morphing abilities are perfect .I would have fallen for it too and you did expose her as an impostor eventually. You knew it wasn't me."

"Well... you'd never be that...Er..." Remus looked away, totally embarrassed by what he had been about to say. The kiss he had shared with the Hermione look-alike hung heavy in the air, neither of them knowing how to deal with that.

"You kissed her." Hermione ended up by saying bluntly, and with a tinge of sadness, although he wasn't sure why.

"Well, in my defence, she kissed me first."

"So... If I kissed you first, you wouldn't mind?" she inquired, barely above a whisper, as she kept her face resolutely turned down to hide a fiery blush.

Remus froze, sure he must have misheard. Hermione, mistaking his sudden stiffness for rejection was now trying to run away from the embarrassment, but he managed to catch her hand and pulled her back to him. He couldn't let her leave now. Not when she had had the courage to do what he never had: to make the first step.

Their eyes locked for a brief moment, their breathing heavy as their hearts seemed to beat achingly at the expectation of what was to come. It was up to him, now, he knew.

The shy wizard tenderly ran a finger down her cheek and pulled the blushing witch closer, their gazes still locked. She was so beautiful with her flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes, she was all he ever wanted. His lips found hers, hesitantly at first, and there was no more doubt that this was meant to be. She tasted like the stale coffee he had made that morning but her lips were soft and willing, becoming more and more passionate until he had to break the kiss off. Both for breath and to get his lustful body under control.

"Maybe we shouldn't have done that." The breathless man said unwittingly, before slapping himself for his stupidity when he saw the hurt flashing in Hermione's chocolate eyes.


	14. Chapter 14: The Cabin in the Woods

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter and the attached magical universe belong solely to Mrs J.K Rowling.**

**A/N: I laugh my evil laugh every time one of you reviews how much they hate my cliffhangers!**

**All hail my beautiful beta, Fredrika, who does an awesome job, so fast my eyeballs are left spinning in their sockets.**

* * *

Chapter 14: The Cabin in the Woods

"What do you mean: _not a good idea_?" The witch seethed like a Kneazle ready to pounce on a cornered rat.

"No, no, no... It"s not what it sounds like!" Remus answered in a panic, waving his hands frantically in the hope to dispel the misunderstanding. "I was thinking about the _Patronus Totalus_ and if us kissing wouldn't break the spell for us."

It would be terrible if she thought he had meant the kiss had been a mistake because he was having second thoughts, or Merlin forbid, that he hadn't enjoyed it. He didn't want to lose this amazing witch over his confusing choice of words. But Hermione merely chuckled, her posture immediately losing its rigid defensive stance.

"Oh! No, don't worry. I know I have a reputation as a bookworm, but I have kissed before, you know. And so has Neville."

Remus did not find her explanation so humorous. For him; it only meant he had been bested in the romance department by a young man who was so shy he stuttered when he had to address more than a couple people, and a woman who spent more time with books than real people, and gladly so. Being the age he was, he did feel a bit pathetic, but still, he couldn't have wished for someone more perfect than Hermione for his first kiss.

The witch in question was now thinking along the same lines.

"Wait...does this mean you've never kissed before. This was your first kiss?"

Remus blushed, which was in his opinion answer enough, so he waited for her to burst out laughing. She didn't thankfully, he should have know she wouldn't, but the whole novelty of the situation was making him inordinately nervous.

Neither knowing what to say after this new revelation, they busied themselves instead with the daily, very ordinary routine of clearing the remnants of their breakfast and freshening up as best they could in the shoddy little cottage. Having arrived with only the clothes on their back prompted them to organize an outing for the much needed supplies. They didn't know how long they would be stuck here and Hermione would have gladly wrestled a troll for a toothbrush at this point.

"Do you think we could sneak into Grimmauld Place for my wand at least? I feel pretty useless without it to tell the truth. Not to mention I'd be a sitting duck if we were attacked." She pleaded.

"We could ask the surveillance team assigned to the house, I suppose. I wonder what it means if it hasn't been raided yet?" The wizard thought out loud. "Either Severus is putting up a pretty good fight or Voldemort hasn't found a way to break the Fidelius, after all."

"Or the Death-Eaters know the house is watched or empty. They could just be waiting for a couple of fools to walk right into their own trap." Hermione suggested, raising an inquiring eyebrow at her companion to ask how probable that could be.

Remus absent-mindedly scratched the stubble on his chin before shrugging.

"We'll just have to take a gamble, I guess. I imagine I can't convince you to wait here for me?"

"That would be a foolish hope."

"Then we'll apparate further away from the usual spot, just in case. I'd rather walk a block or two than stumble right into Death-Eaters' arms."

Hermione nodded before shyly stepping between the man's opened arms, inviting her for side along apparition. She still marveled that such a kind-hearted and handsome man wanted _her_ of all people. She stood closer to him than strictly necessary, she knew, brushing against his muscular chest, but the satisfied smile she saw from the corner of her eyes assured her he didn't mind in the least. He tenderly hugged her to him and they both disappeared from the dense forest into a typical damp London alley.

It was raining thick droplets so Remus hastily transfigured their robes into muggle raincoats before they headed for Grimmauld Place, holding hands. Their relationship was still tentative and not really established yet, but he'd be damned if he didn't take every little bit of tenderness she was willing to give him and try his best to make it work.

They approached the gloomy square where Grimmauld Place was hidden from view of all, save the Order members, and maybe Voldemort's troop. In the park opposite the house where they usually apparated, they noticed a woman feeding a pack of hungry pigeons, half hidden under her umbrella. They remained at a safe distance, scanning their surroundings for friend or foe. If either were there, they were hiding their presence admirably well, although Remus was pretty sure the woman throwing crumbs at her feet was Arabella Figg. However, it appeared they weren't that inconspicuous when they were silently approached from behind and greeted by a familiar voice.

"I thought that was you." Molly Weasley told them, uncharacteristically subdued for the overbearing woman, although she did spare them each a tight hug. "I'm glad you're okay, nobody knew where you two had disappeared off to. I hope you're taking good care of her Remus, especially after that dreadful business with Nymphadora."

Remus leaped at the opportunity of changing topics to avoid explaining exactly how well he was caring for Hermione. He highly doubted the Weasley matriarch would approve of him having a relationship with the young woman.

"Did Kingsley find Tonks yet?"

"No, but he's hot on her trail so it shouldn't be long now." Mrs Weasley answered sadly.

"About that... Hermione lost her wand when Tonks attacked her and we need to get in the house. It won't take but a minute, do you think that's possible?"

The red-head cocked her head in thought for a minute.

"Well... We haven't seen head nor tail of anyone suspicious yet, so I suppose you can go ahead. Just be extra-quick about it, won't you. I'll warn the others not to stop you." And with a hug goodbye that was as rib-crushing as the first, she disappeared under an impressive number of charms. Hermione had always suspected the kind woman was a force to be reckoned with, seeing it with her eyes was still a bit mind-boggling.

Approaching the grim old place, she noticed a couple of disillusioned persons standing vigil, but since they didn't attack, she assumed they were the other Order members keeping watch on their former headquarters. She felt a bit better about entering the house, a bit less trapped once she stepped inside. Everything was exactly as they had left the place late that night, even the umbrella stand that had been knocked down in their haste. The heavy silence made the atmosphere even gloomier than usual however.

"Let's get this done over with quickly." She urged her partner.

"It's a bit silly being here and not taking our belongings though." Remus said uncertainly.

Hermione was torn between her desire to be out of there before he could say "quidditch" and the comfort her things would give her in the sparse cabin they had taken residence into. With a nod, Remus accioed her wand, thankfully intact, and both magically packed, reduced and pocketed their belongings and were back out in the rain with a sigh of relief.

Back at the cabin, Hermione made to place her trunk in the bedroom she had slept in when she paused, looking around the living area that was part kitchen, part living-room and part, she was happy to see, library. But there was no door leading to another bedroom.

"Where did you sleep?" She asked, knowing what the answer would be.

He motioned towards the couch.

"Of course you did." she huffed, annoyed that he must have woken up with a stiff neck. But she couldn't be upset at his gentlemanly manners when that was part of what made him so attractive in her eyes. "What is this place anyhow?" she asked instead.

"I built the cabin for when I couldn't find wolfsbane: it's very secluded, far away from both muggles and magical dwellings so I wouldn't hurt anyone. Unfortunately, I never thought I would be having a guest, which explains it's a bit...plain." He explained with a wry smile.

"It's nice." She reassured him. "But if we're staying here any number of days, we might as well improve it, at least add a bedroom for me... unless you want me to share yours?" she teased daringly with a wicked smile.

Remus growled, which only made her grin more.

"I don't think Albus will be pleased with losing two of his patroni." he said through clenched teeth, visibly struggling with the refusal.

They set to work, and with Remus' talents in charms combined to her own in transfiguration, the place was one room larger and actually deserved the title of cottage rather than cabin. She could even say she liked the homely little place now, and was already planning to add a little garden and pathway to the front when she had time. It reminded her of a little fairytale cottage, although it could do with some more furniture and decoration.

Remus then busied himself with strengthening the wards and she realized how lucky she was he knew so much about them from his studies of the dark arts.

They had managed to keep themselves busy all day, all the while knowing they were just trying to avoid thinking about Severus. That night, Hermione was lounging in the couch, her feet tucked under her as she snuggled against the wizard and staring intently at her WARTS parchment, willing it to deliver a message from her friend.

"You know he probably doesn't have the parchment anymore?" Remus asked softly.

"I know." She replied dejectedly. "But I feel like it's the only link I have with him, now. I still can't believe Dumbledore just abandoned him. I feel like _I_ abandoned him too."

* * *

The Gryffindor couple had no news over the next few days. They had settled into a routine and Hermione sometimes mused that it felt like they were a newly-wed couple, and didn't mind that idea in the least, which came as more of a surprise since she had always thought she would end up being a spinster living with her cats.

Remus liked living with Hermione too, he enjoyed the little things like their long quite evenings reading side by side in the library, making her laugh, her good-night kisses or her smile in the morning. Therefore he was surprised when she wasn't there to greet him that morning, she was usually the first one up. He panicked when he found her bedroom empty too and ran out of the house. His witch was there, covered in mud and grass stains with a flower wreath on her head. It seemed she had decided to add a little white picket fence around the cottage. A bit dainty in his opinion, but since he no longer transformed into a savage beast once a month, dispatching any risk he would have made toothpicks of her hard work, he saw no reason to oppose her. She looked so happy, basking in the first rays of the rising sun, the flowers in her hair making her look like a delicate wood fairy and smiling brightly when she heard him approach, that he couldn't help hugging her fiercely as he whispered three magical words in her ear. He had feared his feelings wouldn't be returned, or he would have told her how much he loved her a long time ago already, but that morning, the words naturally spilled out and were returned in kind.

They were still kissing each other hungrily when they finally received word from the Order in the form of an owl. Remus untied the missive while Hermione took care of grooming the tired little bird. They must really be a ways out if it had tired the poor thing that much and made a mental note to ask of their whereabouts to Remus, surprised her inquisitive mind hadn't been bothered by such a lack in her knowledge but guessing she was more preoccupied with Severus' disappearance than her current address.

Remus joined her in the kitchen where she was feeding chunks of salami to the hungry owl and she immediately noted how pale he looked.

"Severus?" she asked urgently, to which he nodded.

She snatched the parchment from his hands and read the short letter for herself. Severus had been dumped half-dead in front of Hogwarts' gates where Hagrid had found him. No doubt a message to Dumbledore. They had called for Madam Pomfrey and a St Mungos healer who often came for the more serious injuries amongst the Order of the Phoenix but they didn't give him much longer and so, had called for her and Remus to say their goodbyes if they wished. If they had called upon the rest of the Order, Remus doubted there would be many people gathered there. He snatched his cloak and Hermione's, helping her apparate because she didn't seem to be in a state to concentrate on the destination right then.

* * *

Severus lay in the hospital wing surrounded by more people than she had expected: Dumbledore and Minerva, as well as Hagrid and Flitwick made up the Hogwarts staff. Luna and Neville held each other nearby with Molly and Arthur Weasley standing closer with Harry, which was the biggest surprise yet. Their ex-spy did look half-dead if she said so herself: she could hardly note the rise and fall of his chest, his complexion matched the stark white sheets of the infirmary, although she noted blood seeping through, despite the healing and bandages. The bleeding was worse on his left forearm and she wondered if Voldemort had decided to cut off his dark man in penance of his treason.

Madam Pomfrey was concerting over the sick-bed with an old wizard in healing robes and neither looked happy nor were they doing anything. What his case so hopeless? She ignored everyone and made a beeline for her friend's side, clutching his limp hand as tears rolled down her cheeks, calling his name over and over. She knew it was no use fighting the tears, she was barely managing not to become hysterical at this stage.

The nurse put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. We did all we could but V-Vo... that monster wanted us to witness his passing as well, and he made sure we couldn't save him."

"Wh-what did he do?" She managed to articulate through her sobs.

"The Dark Mark." She told the young witch gravely. "He's draining his life force and his magic through his link to him."

Hermione watched the blood soaked bandage in horror.

"Can't you...can't you just cut off his arm?" She pleaded desperately. She knew most everyone was not only staring at her, but also eavesdropping when she heard several gasps at her suggestion. But she'd rather he was alive and one-armed than dead and whole. Even if Severus would probably not be of the same mind.

"Smart and sensible, this one." The healer said matter-of-factly. "Have you considered a career in healing, young lady?"

"This is hardly the time, Ichabod." Madam Pomfrey chided her colleague. "And to answer your question, Hermione, no. The Mark may be apparent on the forearm only, but it pervades and spreads its roots in the whole body. It's really the vilest piece of Dark magic I've ever had to examine."

She sniffled loudly in answer and made herself comfortable on the bed next to Severus. Others quietly exited, duty and family calling them away.

"Mione?" Harry called, fidgeting nervously beside her.

"Oh! Harry! I'm so glad you came. I didn't think you would... but I'm happy you're here."

"Well, he _is_ brave, I'll give him that."

And Hermione flung herself in his arms, crying some more, wondering if the tears would ever stop.

"I didn't know you were so close." Harry said. "He didn't... You weren't..."

Hermione chuckled mirthlessly, saving her friend the embarrassment of asking such ludicrous questions.

"Of course not, you prat. We're just friends, we understand one another. He's like a big brother, I guess."

"Hey! I thought that was my role." Harry whined.

"You'll always be my baby brother." She told him, mussing up his hair.

"I guess that makes us brothers too, he?" He said with a nod in the prone man's direction.

"Don't say that, you'll give him a heart-attack." Hermione returned at Severus's side, feeling more like her normal self than the snivelling witch she was just a moment prior. Harry really had a gift soothing and cheering people up since he had accepted to just be himself, the good and the bad. The Boy-who-lived bade them goodbye and the WARTS members were left to themselves. Remus finally dared approach her and gave her hand a squeeze to let her know he was there for her if she needed him. She smiled gratefully back and they settled in wait next to the Slytherin's bed, holding hands again.

After a couple pf hours during which the curly-haired witch became more and more anxious again, she decided she might as well try out some arithmantic calculations to see if there was a way to save Severus they had overlooked, despite what two experienced and devoted healers had announced.

She had barely started, recalling the last time she had done the exact same thing for Remus when he lay agonizing in a sick-bed too, when she shrieked, throwing parchment and quill in the air.

"Wh-what?" Remus mumbled, having drifted off to sleep a while ago.

"I've been so _stupid_!" She huffed as way of explanation. "His Dark Mark...dark magic...remember the spoon, Remus! Remember how I cured you!"

The wizard exclaimed in surprise. He hadn't thought of using the _Patronus Totalus_ either, but neither had almighty Dumbledore, he realized with a frown, wondering if he had "forgotten" on purpose. Madam Pomfrey came running back, Ichabod trailing behind her, wondering what all the commotion was about.

"Well? You better have a good reason for making such a ruckus, Miss Granger."

Hermione looked uncertainly at the strange healer behind her.

"Is he in the Order?" she questioned.

"Of course he is. I wouldn't let him near Severus if he wasn't."

"I think I can heal Severus, using the _Patronus Totalus_, Madam Pomfrey. It worked on Remus and that was a rooted dark magic too!" The know-it-all explained excitedly. "I'm so stupid for not thinking of it sooner, the similarities are so striking, but this could work, I'm sure of it."

Madam Pomfrey nodded her assent while her colleague raised an interrogative eyebrow, very reminiscent of the snarky Potions Master.

"Hermione, wait..." Remus interrupted the jubilant witch.

"Oh, no, you don't! You can't stop me. You can't tell me what to do just because we're together."

Madam Pomfrey gasped at that.

"I wouldn't dream of it." He muttered. "I was merely going to propose I do it in your stead, or even that we do it together. It may be more dangerous or more draining than a werewolf curse and we both know you were at your limit last time."

"Right." She said, a bit embarrassed by her outburst now that she had been duly chastised. "I'm sorry. I think you're right, it may increase our chances together. Madam Pomfrey, would you and...your friend...?"

"Ichabod Barlow, Head of the magical trauma department of St Mungos, at your service Miss." The healer introduced himself with a bow. She cracked a smile at his theatrical manners, he and Severus would definitely get on well together.

"Mr Barlow, then. If you would be so kind as to overlook the proceedings and help Severus if need be?"

Hermione positioned herself on one side of the bed and Remus on the other, while the two healers stood at a safe distance, wands drawn and at the ready. The two Gryffindors meditated briefly before casting the spell simultaneously and slipping easily into their patronus form. They heard a gasp from healer Barlow before they set to work, both reaching for the dying man.

Hermione felt the tendrils of dark magic twisting throughout his body, trying to get a firmer grip on their prey whilst she and Remus were weakening the invasive influence little by little. Hermione growled at the lack of results, at this rate, they would both pass out of exhaustion and Severus would be lost to them. In a moment of frustration, she concentrated all her power into the bloody bandage where she knew lay the Dark Mark. Her wild coils of hair that had been curling around random parts of the unconscious wizard made a sudden lurch in that direction like a tsunami and wrapped around his whole arm. The dark magic shuddered like a living thing but instead of dissolving, like she was used to, it withdrew with a sudden snap, no doubt returning to its master. The backlash had both patroni return instantly to their human selves and violently thrown back across the large room. Remus crashed into the cabinet where the nurse kept first-aid potions and bandages while Ichabod Barlow managed to snatch the little witch mid-air and break her fall. As promised, the healers tended to their ex-spy first, casting diagnosis and monitoring spells to assess his general health. They exchanged a relieved look before Madam Pomfrey ripped away the now crimson bandage from his left forearm.

"Oh, Severus." She said sadly, shaking her head.


	15. Chapter 15: Rescue Mission

**Disclaimer: The Harry Potter-verse, borrowed by thousands, belonging to the one and only Mrs J.K. Rowling.**

**A/N: Since I'm resuming my work (because writing fanfiction does not pay at all, if you didn't know that yet :D ), updates may take longer in between and I'm very sorry about that, but I'll do my best.**

**I've had really awesome reviews lately, they made me blush and laugh, thank you guys! And thanks to my beta-friend Fredrika, who's still not tired of me :D**

**Warning: there may or may not be a cliffhanger at the end of this chapter (but just so you know, there is! Again... and I'm not even sorry! )**

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Chapter 15: Rescue Mission

Hermione woke to the sound of laughter, a silly boy's laugh that sounded like he would choke on his own mirth. It was a pleasant change, and even if she was in the hospital wing, at least it was a cheerful one. It also reassured her that their experiment with the Dark Mark had gone well, but still, she'd only believe the results with her own eyes so she jumped to her feet and hurried out of bed, intent on finding out how Severus and Remus were faring, and eventually the source of the undignified giggles. Peeking around the first closed curtain she came upon, she saw Madam Pomfrey bent over a bare ass with a magnifying glass and tweezers. Harry was sitting next to the bed, tears of mirth rolling down his cheeks.

"Mione!" He greeted her happily when he spotted the wild curls, startling the buttocks' owner who vainly tried to cover himself.

"Remus, I swear if you don't hold still, I'll have you stupefied." The nurse threatened.

"What in heaven's name is going on here? Are you hurt Remus?" She asked, totally and inappropriately transfixed by Remus' ravishing rear.

"Only my pride." Came a muffled response from the pillows.

"That's it! Out of here with you!" The irate healer bellowed. "Not you, Remus. I'm not nearly finished with you."

The poor man groaned while Harry scampered out, snatching Hermione's arm on his way out. She tried protesting, worried about his injuries but Harry led her away.

"Don't worry about it. He was just unlucky landing rear-first in the potions cabinet."

"Can't she just accio the glass out?"

"That's what Remus has been demanding, but you know Poppy: she said it would do more harm than good."

Hermione couldn't help picturing shards of glass zooming in a straight line, tearing through flesh and muscle to find a way out, unmindful of causing new injuries, and winced.

Harry had led her to Severus' bed, for which she was thankful. Her snarky friend didn't look all that better, motionless and pale, but the bleeding had visibly stopped as he was now bandage free. She gasped when she noticed the Dark Mark, standing out against his alabaster skin and starch white sheets. Had it all been for nought?

"Look closer." Harry prodded.

She gently grasped the Slytherin's arm, turning it this way and that to get a better view. The Dark Mark looked just like an ordinary tattoo, a bit faded by time maybe... wait, that wasn't right, was it? She had learned Voldemort's Mark burned blacker and almost writhed with a living quality the more powerful it's master was, and the dark wizard was now at the peak of his power, so why did this Mark look so dull?

"It's deactivated." Harry explained when she asked as much. "Seems old Voldy needed the tattoo as a base for the charms, just like you needed a galleon to enchant for the DA. When you take out the spells, you're just left with an ordinary galleon... or a very tacky tattoo."

Hermione fell back in the chair nearby, relief flooding over her.

"Snake-face was livid." Harry chuckled when Hermione recomposed herself from the shock. "He got hit by the magical backlash and was so furious and humiliated he killed at least a dozen of his minions. Not that I'm complaining... less work for me, you know."

Hermione could see he was putting up a brave face. It must still have rankled the kind-hearted man to watch a madman butcher his own troops, even if they were the enemy.

"Oh, Harry! I'm so sorry. I had no idea." She apologized. "At least, I won't ever have to do _that_ again. It was scary, and a bit gross to be honest. I'd rather heal werewolfs anytime."

"You might have to do it once more though." Harry told her smugly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you know Albus. Lose a spy, gain a spy. He had every eventuality planned out, of course, even the fact that Snape might lose his cover."

"Who's the new spy?"

"I can't tell. Honest!" He cried out when he saw her hurt look. "I'm not allowed to, I had to take a wand oath and everything. Since we don't know how Snape... All right, Professor Snape, got ousted as our spy, Albus is being extra-careful with who knows about the new one. So far, I think only three of us know, really. And I don't think he'd tell you. He's still pretty pissed at you, and even more so since you decided to save Severus without consulting him."

Hermione snorted, not surprised in the least. He probably considered his ex-spy as a useless burden now and not worth the bother to help. What a rotten, conniving, selfish, spiteful old man. She had a few more epithets to add to that but decided she could probably use her time better.

"We can't leave him here." She said, thinking aloud. "Merlin knows what Dumbledore intends to do with him now. I wouldn't be surprised if he used him as bait, or even exchanged him against other prisoners... I don't know, but I do know that I won't leave without him."

"You really don't trust Albus, do you?" Harry asked with a frown.

"No." The young witch said gravely in hushed tones. "But I have my reasons."

"I guess everyone does at some point." Dumbledore's golden boy said, looking at her speculatively.

"You know, sometimes I fear what he has planned for you. I know you can't tell me what the two of you are doing..." She added hastily when he saw he was about to protest. "And I'm not asking you to, but I'm just afraid he'll use you like he has Severus, or Remus, or..."

"Or you?" Harry finished for her.

She nodded.

"And many other Order members. Just look at Sturgis, and even Tonks. They just snapped. Sturgis has never been the same since, and Merlin knows how Tonks will be when we find her."

They fell silent for a while, both lost in thought.

"So what do you plan to do about Snape? You can always stay here and look after him, there are other refugees gathered in the castle's furthest wing."

"No, that would still leave Severus in the old man's clutches. And it's the first place Voldemort would come looking for him and who knows where _his_ spies are?" She cradled the prone man's hand and pushed back a lock of hair behind his ear, looking worriedly at his sunken cheeks and sallow skin.

Just then, Remus, who had been standing behind the privacy curtain while the two friends talked, made his presence known and Hermione threw herself into his arms, hugging him fiercely, much to Harry's surprise. She didn't notice how stiffly the older wizard was standing, nor his beet red face, blinded as she was that everything had turned out alright in the end. Harry excused himself, exchanging a suspicious look with the man he considered an honorary uncle.

Remus had felt uneasy listening to Hermione, _his_ Hermione speak so possessively of Snape. He knew he was being jealous, and for no good reason, but he still had difficulties accepting that she wanted _him_ of all people. And here she was, publicly showing her affection for him, not minding at all that her best friend was right there. He had thought she would be a bit ashamed of being with an older wizard who didn't have much to his name, but was proven wrong by her loving hug.

"We'll take him back to the cottage." Remus whispered in her ear, knowing it was the right thing to do and wanting to please his witch.

"Really? You don't mind?" She asked excitedly, beaming brightly.

"The WARTS have to stick together, right?" He chuckled, seeing how happy it made her.

The couple spoke to Madam Pomfrey, inquiring about his health and if he needed special care or potions. But all he needed, it seemed, was time for his body and magic to reconstruct.

"Actually, he could wake up any minute and I know he'll be a pain when he does. He needs rest and won't listen to me, stubborn as he is. Severus just hates my infirmary I think, too many bad memories here." She sighed theatrically. "If only someone trustworthy could care for him... Unfortunately, the headmaster wants him kept here indefinitely." The nurse stared at Hermione meaningfully.

"Oh!" Hermione gasped. "Hum, Remus, I think we should leave now." She added, tugging his sleeve so he would follow her back to Severus' bed. "Good-bye, Madam Pomfrey!"

"Good-bye, dear. I'll be very busy in the storage room for the next twenty minutes at least." She said nonchalantly, before turning on her heels without a backwards glance.

Remus finally caught on and hurried back to the Slytherin's cot, casting a disillusionment on him while Hermione gathered his wand and clothes. Remus hoisted the other wizard up and, tucked between him and Hermione, they hurried out of the castle, praying nobody looked too closely. From afar it looked like they were walking a bit awkwardly next to each other, but from upfront, it was clear they were hiding someone. Luckily, everyone they knew seemed to be busy, and the few students they met scuttled away from the weird strangers. It was not a time when you went looking for trouble, not with Voldemort and Death-Eaters on the loose.

They were almost at the gates when Severus stirred and groaned in discontent at his harsh handling.

"Shhh!" Hermione shushed between her teeth. "We're almost there."

Severus was leaning heavily on her slim built even with Remus supporting most of the wizard's weight. She was sweating abundantly by the time they walked past the two winged boars garding the front gate.

"I'll apparate with him. Will you be alright?" Remus asked worriedly.

She nodded and watched as Remus spun on the spot and disappeared with the other wizard. She was leaning against a nearby tree, still panting and knew she wouldn't be able to apparate before she caught her breath. The last thing she wanted was to get splinched.

Hearing people hurry up the path from Hogsmead, she hid behind the tree's large trunk, careful to stay in the shadows.

"Go back, Pansy. It's bad enough if someone sees _me_ here. At least I have an excuse." Drawled a voice she hadn't heard since graduating from Hogwarts. Draco Malfoy was strutting up the path, grey robes swirling around him as he pushed back the distraught witch.

"But you're hurt! Let me at least take care of you before you go see him at least." The woman pleaded.

"Hush!" The blond Slytherin seethed angrily. "Leave! Now!"

Pansy Parkinson sobbed loudly and disappeared with a loud crack. The second she was gone, Malfoy's usually arrogant posture slumped dramatically and he shuffled away, shuddering from time to time. Hermione waited for him to vanish completely from sight, not sure what to make of it, and apparated away.

She was greeted by twin scowls outside the cottage.

"Where were you?" asked the first.

"Do you know how worried I was?" came the second.

"Why in Merlin's name aren't you in bed?" she retorted, worried about Severus' pale face and sweaty brow.

The two wizards only scowled harder so she relented:

"I had to hide when someone walked up to the gates... You'll never guess who?"

She recounted the strange scene between her two Slytherin former yearmates.

"And Draco looked ill?" Severus questioned.

"Yes. Parkinson said he was hurt, but it looked more like he was sick. He was pale, more than usual, I mean, and worn-out... and he was shivering." She recalled. "Do you know what he was doing there? He said he had an excuse. Did he take his father's seat on the board of governors?"

"Even if he did, I doubt the headmaster would give him free access to the school's grounds. No, it looks more like Dumbledore found a new replacement for me."

"Malfoy? A spy?" She said unbelievingly, eyes round as galleons.

"I often came back to the castle in that state to report to Albus. He was probably put under the cruciatus, it's one of the Dark Lord's favourites when he is displeased with one of his servant's lack of results. He thinks it motivates his troops to do better."

"Harry did mention there was a new spy." Remus said thoughtfully.

"You were eavesdropping?" Hermione exclaimed, swatting the Gryffindor's arm. "I can't believe you. What if I had been telling him how great you are in the sack?"

Remus blushed and glanced nervously at Severus who was growling.

"That better be a very distasteful joke."

"Of course it is, Severus!" she laughed. "We're not quite there yet."

"What do you mean, yet?"

Hermione was about to tease her friend and his big brother act when a patronus pranced in, stopping in between the two Gryffindors.

"That's Ginny's." She hurriedly told Severus, who was unlikely to have ever seen it.

"I need you! Death-Eaters at St Mungos! I don't know how they got in, they're rounding up the healers!" The luminescent horse exclaimed in Ginny's panicked voice. That girl did not panic without a good reason, she was cut from the same cloth as the fierce, unwavering Molly Weasley after all, so her assailants had probably backed her into a corner. Hermione and Remus were ready to apparate away when the young woman saw Severus getting dressed.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked in a dead cold tone.

"I'm going. What? Did you expect me to stay around and be pampered?" He sneered.

"Don't be ridiculous. You can hardly walk." And as if to prove her point, the usually graceful wizard stumbled, almost landing face first on the hard floor before Remus caught him. Hermione stood an inch from his face with a warning glare. "Don't make me pull a Neville on you! I swear I'll petrify you if I have to. And if you dare set a foot outside, you will wish it was Voldemort you had to deal with."

Severus grumbled and locked himself in Remus' bedroom, sulking like a spoiled child. Not that she didn't trust him - but she actually didn't concerning this issue - Hermione kept his wand with her. She'd give it back to him later and pretend she had forgotten about it. She hated being such a Slytherin with him, but it was for his own good, and it was his own fault for rubbing off on her so much.

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The situation at St Mungos didn't look good. Order members and Aurors couldn't even enter the building, they had to fight Death-Eaters and dark creatures right in the street itself. Well, if this didn't make the front page of the muggle newspaper! Obliviators sure would have a lot of work after tonight.

Remus and Hermione exchanged a resolute nod and transformed into their patronus form, determined to find and rescue the youngest Weasley, and every other innocent they found along the way. The two glowing forms zoomed once above the battle, and were greeted by many cheers. Since her display at Diagon Alley and the Quibblers following article, the British wizarding population considered the "angels" a good omen in battle. After the aerial scouting, the two patroni flew straight at the most strategic points. Hermione's hair was particularly savage tonight, whipping viciously at 360° at her enemies, probably because she was so furious they would attack a hospital of all places, and one where her friend worked too. Meanwhile, Remus was so fast, much more so than Hermione, that it was hard to follow him by sight. His enemies didn't stand a chance, impossible as it was to avoid him. Soon after, two other patroni made their apparition and were greeted by many more cheers of the light side and other citizens who had joined the fray, concerned for their relatives and friends who had been in St Mungos when the Death-Eaters made their move. It was becoming a full-sized battlefield that finally began turning against Voldemort's troops.

The patroni's magic allowed the light side to make a break into the building, pushing back werewolves, exterminating dementors and making vampires flee in panic. Unfortunately, by that time, Luna and Neville had to retreat, exhausted, but Hermione was very proud of them. Her pupils had done well for their first mission. The lower ranking supporters of the Dark Lord, those who weren't even given the title of Death-Eater and much less marked, were swiftly dealt with by the Aurors and Order members with the help of the normal everyday witch and wizard. In Hermione's mind, the fact that the wizarding population fought back for and by themselves instead of waiting passively for the authorities to do their job, was an incredible step forward. It gave her more hope for the future than anything else had before.

But there wasn't time to rejoice, with grim determination, she and Remus sped forward, flying through walls, ceilings and floors in search of Ginny and the captured healers. They finally stumbled upon them in a large hall, the medical personnel all bound in thick ropes and guarded by dark wizards. Exhausted, the couple regained their human form and sent word via Hermione's otter patronus to the others. They hid and spied from behind a crate of potions, and, despite the fact that she was utterly distracted by Remus warmth on her back and breath in her ear, she managed to spot a mane of fiery red hair. Ginny was lying unconscious and bound on the spotless tiled floor, she had probably put up a good fight knowing her. However, they couldn't intervene right now seeing how well guarded they were: at least ten battle-hardened Death-Eaters patrolled around their twenty-some prisoners, it would be foolish to take them on just the two of them without waiting for reinforcements.

"They couldn't have been that far behind, could they?" The young woman whispered anxiously in the wizard's ear.

Remus shuddered slightly and squeezed her hand in understanding. It was hard for him too to lie in wait when the youngest Weasley was in the hands of those beasts, and hurt already by the looks of her. Hermione nudged him when she saw her redheaded friend start to stir. Weasleys were too stubborn to even stay unconscious for long.

Ten minutes later, they heard a commotion, growing louder and louder, down the main corridor, and the first spell flew before the two Gryffindors sprang from their hiding spot, stupefying the two nearest dark wizards and sprinting towards Ginny. However, surprising everyone, Voldemort's troops didn't fight back but each grabbed one or two of the medical staff instead and disappeared with a pop.

"Nooooo!" Hermione screamed as a burly man snatched their friend and port-keyed away right in front of her. She knew she would be haunted by Ginny's terror-filled hazel eyes until she could smother her in a hug once more.

She then dissolved into a puddle of tears in Remus' arms.

"We'll find her again." He told her softly. "We'll get her back, I promise."


	16. Chapter 16: Rift in the Order

**Disclaimer: Still not mine, you'd know if it was, my nametag would read J.K Rowling.**

**A/N: By overwhelming demand, I will no longer use cliffhangers.**

**Just kidding! You'll have to contend with my evil ways and bow to my whims ;)**

**Let's all take a minute to thank my beta, Fredrika: do you now see what she has to put up with?**

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Chapter 16: Rift in the Order

An emergency meeting of the Order of the Phoenix was called at the secondary headquarters: the Burrow, which seemed ironically fitting, considering it was one of its occupants who was concerned. An exhausted Remus and Hermione recounted what had happened at St Mungos. Molly was tucked in Arthur's arms, surrounded by all the Weasley siblings, even Charlie who had used an emergency portkey to come back from Romania, and to her credit, the distraught mother-hen did her best not to wail too loudly, but her grief and desperation weighed heavily on everyone present.

"Why healers?" Alastor barked in Dumbledore's direction. "What? Is that ruddy bastard trying to win this war by letting us bleed to death if we're deprived of our doctors?"

"According to our spy, Voldemort has been weakened somehow and requested his Death-Eaters bring him as many mediwizards as they could." The old man replied calmly, trying to diffuse the tension with a soothing aura.

"B-b-but, my b-baby... She's only a-an apprentice!" Molly sobbed.

"We can only assume they captured everyone bearing the St Mungos crest on their robes on sight, regardless of their position." Dumbledore replied, patting the woman's hand. "I'm very sorry Molly, but we'll try our best to retrieve our agents."

"There was more than one order member captured?" Moody, the paranoid auror, asked, his magical eye spinning madly as he raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Don't you think Voldemort set out to capture one of us rather than healers in general. And he got two on top of that!"

"Who's the other one?" Bill Weasley questioned, hoping it could be someone trustful who would protect his sister.

"Ichabod Barlow. He's head of a department and usually only intervenes for severe or complicated injuries amongst us, so not many of you have met him, and he isn't privy to many of our secrets. I doubt he even knows about Miss Weasley's involvement in the war."

Bill's hope deflated like a ridiculed boggart. His baby sister was hurt, alone and terrified. He would give anything to take her place.

"Can we trust the spy?" Arthur asked with a shaky voice. "Is V-Voldemort really weakened?" He had hope that at least the madman was doing so poorly he wouldn't be able to cast unforgivables on his only daughter.

"Yes, we can." Dumbledore assured him and the room at large. "He and his family have suffered at Tom Riddle's hands, and he still has much more to lose. We can trust his judgement, he's an intelligent young man."

"Headmaster?" Harry piped up determinedly. He was trying to sound unaffected but everyone could see the haunted look in his gaze. Having Ginny taken away from him by his arch-nemesis right when he had finally mended things between them, hit him really hard. "Do you think the magical whiplash from Snape's severed Dark Mark is what weakened him? I just saw how mad he was right after, but perhaps it had secondary effects?"

This led to a cacophony of questions coming from mostly everyone at once that prompted another explanation from the two patroni about how they had deactivated Severus' Dark Mark to save him, followed by a largely censored description of Harry's ensuing vision of the dark's wizard's wrath. The opinion were divided between those who saw the benefits of weakening the tyrant and those who held Hermione and Remus for responsible of the subsequent attack on St Mungos. Even the Weasleys were divided: most of them were angry at the two Gryffindors, arguing that Ginny would still be safe if it wasn't for their rash decision, while Charlie and the twins understood they had done what was necessary at the time and couldn't have foreseen the consequences.

Hermione felt terrible, Ginny's fearful eyes silently begging for help still plagued every moment of her existence. She had been so close and felt doubly responsible. Remus wasn't faring much better but he tried to be strong, for her.

"It is a good theory but unless we can try it out on another Death-Eater, it will stay just that, a theory." Dumbledore announced. "But let us not forget Riddle had many enemies, included some in his very own ranks. He could have been poisoned or cursed, without anyone being the wiser. No, we cannot know. All we can do, for now, is wait for our spy to give us more information, before we can act."

"Wait? WAIT?!" Hermione exploded. "Is that all you know to do? Wait? If we had waited for Severus, he would be dead by now. The same can be said for Remus. Will Ginny and Dr Barlow be the next victims of your wait and see policy."

"Maybe you have a better idea to propose, Miss Granger?" The old man said calmly, although the underlying sarcasm wasn't lost on her, which infuriated her only more.

"No!" She shouted to his face. "But, by Merlin, I'll find something and bring Ginny back!"

She walked out, followed closely by Remus who was watching her back in case someone had the very bad idea of hexing her out of spite or revenge for the hospital incident. At the moment, he trusted no one, except for his witch. And Severus, he added grundgingly. As he had said before, the WARTS had to stick together. Outside, her fury at the headmaster melted back to sorrow for the lost Weasley and she turned into Remus outstretched arms for a hug.

"Are they right, Remus?" She mumbled from where she had buried herself in the man's robes. "Is it really our fault?"

"Would you have sacrificed one for the other?" He reasoned, knowing very well her answer.

"No. I couldn't do that." She admitted.

"There you are then. Don't let Dumbledore get to you, love. He's playing games to gain some control over you, even if it means turning all your friends against you."

The door to the Burrow opened once more and two Weasleys barreled out, straight into them, sending all four of them sprawling on the ground. Hermione swore she heard one of the many garden gnomes snickering in glee.

"Thank Merlin..." George said.

"...you're still here." His twin finished.

"We want to come with you."

"We don't want to wait doing nothing."

"It's our baby sister out there."

"We'll help you any way we can."

The two boys were pale and frantic but had a steely, determined glint in their usually mischievous blue eyes. Picking herself up from atop Remus who had broken her fall and was now blushing from the inappropriate position they found themselves in, she extended her small hand to help him up. They exchanged a silent exchange with just a look and the wizard nodded.

"Fred and Georges can be trusted. They're so loyal, they could have been Marauders." He explained.

The twins grinned at Moony, one of their personal Hogwarts heroes.

"Charlie agrees with us too..."

"...but he wants to stay and try to convince Dumbledore to act..."

"...but if he can't, he'll join us."

Hermione nodded, extending an arm in silent invitation to Georges to side along apparate him, while Remus did the same for Fred. Landing in front of the dark little cottage in the dark woods, she turned to the twins.

"Welcome to the WARTS unofficial headquarters." She announced solemnly with a bow, knowing the twins enjoyed the theatrics and hoping to cheer them up, if only a little. Merlin knows they did their fare share of cheering up the Order when the war got to them.

"Wicked!" One said.

"So what is it?" Asked the other.

"A secret society within a secret society." She murmured confidentially.

The two redheads ooh'ed and aah'ed appropriately, waiting to hear more.

"It's a very select club, there's only three members right now. So... do you still want to join us."

"Only if you tell us..." Fred said conspiratorially.

"...what WARTS stands for." Georges finished.

"Weapons Against the Rule of Tyrants Syndicate." She confessed, head bowed. She was sure the twins would mock her acronym at least as much as they had with SPEW.

"Weapons..." One said smirking.

"...befitting." Mimicked the second.

They looked very much like villains from old black and white movies, and certainly were a worthy addition to their little group.

"So there's you two..." Georges said pointing at the couple before them.

"...but who's the third?" Fred wondered.

"Me." Answered an irate Severus from the doorway. "Do you lot plan on chatting there like asinine schoolgirls all night?"

* * *

Everything was explained to Severus, who was in better dispositions since he had wrestled his wand back from Hermione's pocket, and being his snarky self meant he was well enough to plot with them.

Hermione was surprised to see the twins get along with the snarky Potions Master, and stranger yet, Severus seemed to tolerate them too, despite them clearly being Weasleys. Maybe it really was the end of the world.

"Do we at least know where the Dark Lord is hiding at the moment?"

The twins shook their heads sadly.

"Nope. Just before we caught up with Hermione and Remus..."

"...we heard only his inner circle knew his whereabouts."

Severus reflected on this, muttering to himself as he paces before the magically enlarged kitchen table.

"Of course, Draco won't be in the inner circle as long as his father is, so he won't know. It makes sense. But his men captured...What? About a dozen healers?" He paused and looked over at the young witch for confirmation.

"At least twelve, I'd say." She answered, Remus nodding in confirmation.

"Okay, so he'll need quite a big place to keep the prisoners, plus room for the inner circle... That's about another twelve people. I'm guessing one that is little known and very secluded if he feels in danger. He's just that paranoid."

The man froze mid-step.

"What is it, Severus?" Hermione asked. "Did you think of something?"

"Possibly." He answered, drawing out the syllables, but the wolfish grin that spread across his generally dour face, told another story. "There is this one place that was mentioned to me a long time ago. Only two Death-Eaters and the Dark Lord himself knew of it: of those two, Barty Crouch was killed in a raid and Pettigrew...ah, well, _everyone_ knows what happened to Pettigrew." He reminisced with a fond smile that was mirrored on all the other's faces.

Peter Pettigrew, also known as Wormtail, had been a personal insult to the remaining Marauder, to Gryffindors in general and The Order of the Phoenix in particular but also to the large clan of the Weasleys who had unwittingly been housing the murderous fugitive. The traitor was adding to that insult by spying on them in his animagus form for Voldemort until Crookshanks finally cornered him: he had the choice of returning to his human form and face the Order members then present, including Remus and Severus, but he finally chose to die at the fangs and claws of the kneazle like the rat that he was. Nobody scolded Crookshanks for eating the wizard, although they did ask him not to eat any more animagi, except maybe for blue beatles. In fact, Hermione's familiar was given more pats, cuddles and cat treats than he could handle until he finally died of old age, the happiest kneazle of magical Britain.

"So, what is this place? Can we go there?" Hermione asked eagerly.

"It's a run-down muggle manor in Little Hangleton. It's been abandoned for fifty years at least and I wouldn't be surprised he returned there to recover, like last time."

The group then made plans to go there as quickly as possible, just as soon as Severus gulped down several invigorating potions, since he refused to be left out once more and blackmailed the others into agreeing, being the only one to know the exact location.

* * *

So there they stood, facing an old decrepit manor with an overgrown garden, the five members of the rebel WARTS organisation. Hermione felt like James Bond, about to enter the villain's lair. Fortunately, all of them were experienced and proficient at snooping around and managed to get in and to the heart of the building as discretely as shadows. That's when Georges, who was checking out one of the many rooms, motioned for them to freeze.

"I heard someone over there." He hissed between his clenched teeth, sign that he was more nervous than he let on.

"Says the man with one ear." Quipped his twin in hushed tones, trying to diffuse the tension.

Hermione and Severus rolled their eyes but indicated that everyone should get ready to face Voldemort's troops, or even the man himself. They'd rather avoid it and just help the prisoners escape but doubted it would be that simple. A disillusionment and silencing charm on each of them later, they held hands to lurk into the room's shadows without bumping into each other. It seemed to be a vast dining room with the massive oak table and chairs still in place as if waiting for the next meal to be served, except a thick layer of dust and decay coated everything.

Everyone heard two voices arguing then. They were quite close by but difficult to pinpoint with the shrouding darkness.

"It isn't here. I knew this was a fool's errand." grumbled one.

"It was worth the try, my boy. Now, let us-"

The second voice cut itself off suddenly and a stupefy flew right at them. Hermione yelled a warning and felt Remus hand pressing her down on the floor. Severus threw several spells in the direction of the unknown threat and must have been hit because his disillusionment spell suddenly blinked away. The ex-spy then threw a large orb of light, if he was visible, he might as well see his opponent clearly too.

But as soon as the blinding light filled the abandoned dining room, all dueling stopped.

"Albus?" Severus asked incredulously.

"Harry?" Hermione squeaked.

"I believe you were right , Harry. Let us be on our way then." The old wizard said casually, as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.

"But...but..." Harry stuttered looking from one group to the other uncomprehendingly. "What are _you_ doing here?" He settled on, looking at his fellow Gryffindors.

"Looking for Ginny." Fred said simply with a shrug.

"Why? What are _you _doing here?" questioned Georges more snidely.

"Hum...yeah, same thing." But Harry had always been a terrible liar and no one believed him for a moment. "Anyway, no one's here. All clear." He added nervously and followed his mentor meekly after a hasty good-bye.

"What was that about?" Hermione breathed out. "I don't know what those two are doing, but clearly it isn't looking for the healers.

"Although they _are_ looking for something." Remus pointed out.

"Harry didn't look that pleased." Fred provided.

"I'd even say he was reluctant." Georges added.

"I know I'm going to regret this..." Severus said thoughtfully, a scowl marring his face. "But I think we need Potter. We're obviously missing some vital information."

"He could join us, I suppose." Hermione said. She'd be happy to get Harry to join WARTS. He was the epitome of a weapon being used by Dumbledore, and she missed him dearly.

"Problem is, Dumbledore will be wary of us around Harry." The ex-spy analyzed.

"How about polyjuice?" The witch proposed.

"Polyjuice isn't the answer to everything." The dour man scolded but with good humor. "Besides, who would you go as? There's too many possibilities there would be two of you at headquarters."

"Hey, don't forget we've already got someone inside..."

"...who's above all suspicion..."

"...and is daring enough..."

"...to bring us Harry!"

Hermione gasped as she realized what their genius idea was.

"Are you really planning to have Charlie kidnap the Boy-Who-Lived?" Remus quizzed bemusedly with a Marauder grin. By the looks of it, he was already aboard, probably happy to have Prongs junior near him once more.

The Slytherin also seemed happy with the idea, but probably because Harry would be scared out of his mind, if only briefly.

"Why don't you just _ask_ Harry to come?" The only female asked with a huff. Boys were always going overboard.

"You know Harry..."

"...always hesitant..."

"...it'll take him forever..."

"...to decide he's better off with us."

Hermione conceded their point this time. But only this once, she swore.

"But how do we contact Charlie?" She asked, feeling one solution just led to another problem.

"Leave it to us." The twins said in unison. "We Weasleys have our ways."

The group split up, the twins off to capture Harry and the others off to check out other possible locations of Voldemort's whereabouts, mainly Death-Eaters' houses, and agreed to meet back at the cottage in a couple of hours.

* * *

The WARTS members were all waiting anxiously in the small cottage's main room. The twins assured the others Charlie had received their message although they refused to tell them how, and giggled like schoolgirls whenever they thought about it. They even managed to smuggle him a portkey that would bring him and his "guest" right to the cottage.

A ruckus outside jolted everyone out of their seats and a second later the door was kicked open and an irate Charlie stepped in, dropping the bundle on his shoulder onto the ground.

"FRED! GEORGES!" The muscled redhead roared. "If you ever set another godamned garden gnome on me, whatever the reason, I'll have your scrawny hides served to the meanest hungarian horntail I can find!"

"However do you get a garden gnomes to run errands for you?" Remus asked gobsmacked by the twin's inventiveness.

"Garlic." The two boys pouted at having one of their secrets known. "They'd do anything for garlic."

"Bloody little ankle-biters." Charlie grumbled.

The bundle on the ground groaned and pushed away the hood covering him to glance up at his captors.

"If you're quite finished." Harry told them. "I" like to know why you sent this... this brute to kidnap me."

The dragon-tamer looked pleased with himself.

"Come on Harry. It's not really a kidnapping. I left a note so they'd know you're safe with me."

"Somehow, I highly doubt that." The wizarding world's saviour shot back, rubbing his sore buttocks as he righted himself. "Now, if somebody would care to explain?"

"Simple." Severus answered with just a hint of a sneer. "We need information. We lost precious time tonight looking for _your_ girlfriend while you were gallivanting uselessly like a beheaded chicken with the old man. If Dumbledore cared to share his prized information, we wouldn't have lost so much time. So tell us what you know."

Harry's emerald eyes flashed angrily at first before his shoulders slumped and the fight left him.

"We were not doing _nothing_, sir." The Boy-Who-Lived answered defensively. "We were trying to find... something that would weaken Voldemort. So I could end him."

"Does that mean you know where he is then?" The dark man asked, looming menacingly over the smaller wizard.

Harry shook his head in the negative, with a sad expression.

"Dunderhead." Severus articulated.

"Severus!" Hermione exclaimed to get the man to stop with the petty Harry-bashing. "Harry, can you tell us what you and Dumbledore were doing in the abandoned manor?"

Her best-friend for the last nine years looked hesitant, which deeply hurt her feelings. How he could not trust her was beyond Hermione, she had always been there to help and support him in the past. Finally, he relented and sighed loudly.

"Alright. Although I doubt it will help Ginny. But I'm warning you, Albus will have my head for telling you lot."

"Welcome to the club." She grinned back.


End file.
